"Fifty Shades Of Grey": Erotic Novel Gets Women Fantasizing -- And Causes Controversy

Attention suburbia: Sexually explicit bodice-rippers are making a comeback. British novel "Fifty Shades of Grey" by author E.L. James (a woman in her 40s) is getting women talking -- and fantasizing. But while some find this trend to be a healthy way for women to express their sexuality, others are disturbed by the kind of sex the novel involves.

TODAY describes the novel as the first "part of a triple-X trilogy involving sex games and a bondage-loving billionaire." And though men are stereotypically the ones drawn to explicit reading material, women are buying these novels in droves. The reviews on Amazon include comments like "This was one of those books that keeps you glued to the pages; staying up reading into the early morning" and "This story is magical!"

This morning the TODAY show aired interviews with a group of women, all married with children, who read the novel for their Boca Raton-area book club. The women were unanimously enthusiastic about "Fifty Shades of Grey" and its storyline (watch above). The book tells the story of a virginal college-aged woman and an entrepreneur who become involved sexually. Their relationship explores themes of submission and domination -- a fantasy which Dr. Laura Berman told TODAY is quite common among women. It may be this fantasy that lends the novel its appeal, she said.

But not everyone thinks that "Fifty Shades of Grey" is harmless, fantasy-driven fun. Dr. Drew, a board-certified internist and TV personality, told the TODAY Show that he finds the novel "disturbing" and even suggested that the submissive sex the book depicts is essentially violence against women.

Watch the TODAY Show's video and tell us what you think! Will you read "Fifty Shades of Grey"?

Comments

[Robert Rudney]

04:25 PM on 05/15/2013

Disability, Love, Sex … and Jobs: A Novel Perspective
“Lovers Lame is the novel that makes disability sexy,” quips Bob Rudney, the author and long-time disability advocate who’s just published his first fiction work (Booklocker, $16.95, paperback, $8.99 electronic, http://booklocker.com/books/6101.html). “The book’s also a conscious effort to raise public awareness on disability issues, especially employment, and to expand the audience,” he adds.
In Lovers Lame, narrator David Levin’s lonely and tightly controlled world turns upside down when he wanders into a self-help group for job seekers with disabilities. David, an acerbic, out-of work editor with left-side paralysis, grudgingly befriends a motley group of self-styled 'crips' and becomes infatuated with Jessica Cowan, an alluring, but mercurial artist battling the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis.
David falls hopelessly in love, while Jessica insists on maintaining her distance as she comes to grips with her own tempestuous past. Their struggle with their own inner demons plays out against the backdrop of people with disabilities fighting prejudice and ignorance in a world that still excludes them.

[Chasity Stidham]

09:42 AM on 10/07/2012

I personally thought the trilogy of Fifty Shades of Grey was a great book. People don't need a book to make a choice when it comes to lifestyles. I would like to say most people by the age of 21 have already heard or done most of the stuff that Fifty Shades of Grey portrays... People need to grow up and start being responsible, and quit blaming others for their needs and wants. Keyword: Fantasy

[projustice]

07:03 PM on 08/21/2012

I wonder what the response to this book would be if the roles were reversed and the woman was the person in the position of power?

[fast390s]

02:33 PM on 08/11/2012

The simple truth is that when it comes to insecurities regarding their desirability, women do not have the market cornered. The male psyche is in many ways just as fragile (if not more so) in that regard than that of a woman. Again I ask, how much “window shopping” can your husband do when the two of you are out together before you notice? For how many seconds can his eyes linger on that tall, thin brunette with the hourglass figure and those perfect 36C’s; his attention toward you momentarily waning…before you become concerned? How many pages of FSoG could you read in that amount of time?

[50shadesreader]

08:01 PM on 08/01/2012

I just read comments on facebook thru a friend of a friend and how they overheard soccer moms raving about the book . Is this bad for a Christian women & the sanctity of marriage to read these books ? My husband even said "what's this all about? It's those books you're reading, isn't it?"

[fast390s]

02:29 PM on 08/11/2012

I’ll go ahead and state up front that I’m straight, male, and Christian so that those who will – for those reasons alone - patently dismiss what I have to say up front before even reading my words may go ahead and do so without further expenditure of time or energy.

For those still with me, I’ll now also state that I’m also pretty far away from the southern Bible-thumping moralist stereotype, especially when it comes to human psychology and sexuality. I have no innate problem with anything that consenting adults want to do in the bedroom…or kitchen, hot-tub, forest, or dungeon for that matter. In your husband’s case though, his response might very well have been less a commentary on your reading material than it was a response to your willingness (and also need…but I’ll get to that in a moment) to read it – the very idea that the rules you expect him to live by with regard to porn are somehow different than those which you yourself live by. What would your emotional response be if you discovered that your husband had a huge collection of hard-core porn mags and DVD’s? Would you give him grief over it? Simply from a fairness standpoint, what’s good for the gander needs to be good for the goose as well…but there is another issue. (next post)

[fast390s]

02:32 PM on 08/11/2012

Whether they approve of them or not, guys view steamy romance novels as “chick porn”. If they are even the least bit insecure regarding their own ability to please their wives physically (and guys, lets be honest here…we ALL have a touch of that sometimes; if we didn’t it would be certain proof that we didn’t really care about her satisfaction), the vast majority of men will view their wives’ preoccupation, interest, …and particularly their emotional (and often physical – many of us are actually pretty astute observers of things like our wives’ respiration, heart rate, body language, etc.) response to such literature as a judgment on his romantic and sexual skills, and of her need for more than provides. If that is due to laziness or selfishness on his part, then such a “wake up call” might just be in order. But what if that’s not the case? Let’s say that your man is a considerate and compassionate – even if imperfect – lover who is trying his best to please you? What are your reading habits telling him? “Nonsense, you’re manufacturing a problem where there is none”, you say? (next post)

[Trisha Riley]

09:31 AM on 07/12/2012

Ok, I have a problem with the negative talk about twilight. Granted I have not read the 50 shades of grey novels... yet, but plan to soon. Either way I loved the twilight books and movies. I'm a big reader though. I'll read pretty much anything that catches my attetion. I did not, however, like all the teenage drama. I did love the romance and suspense. So this just strikes one question for me I guess. The books I am reading right now are the tyrlle books by Amanda Hocking. They are somewhat like the Twilight series, but different in the form of not being about vampires. So just by me saying that they are somewhat like the Twilight Saga, are you going to judge these books before you read them? In my opinion if you didnt like them then why did you read them? And if you haven't read them and you are judging these books then maybe you should read them, you might actually find them interesting.

As for the topic at hand, I agree that different women like different things, but seriously guys when you read these books or even read the comments and think that this is something that every woman would enjoy, that we have been hiding our sexual fantasies then you are wrong. It's the purpose of letting your imagination run wild when women read these books so don't get any bright ideas.

[Snooie]

11:15 AM on 06/23/2012

I LOVE the books, iv bought all 3 and im in the middle of reading book 2. This Dr Drew is sooooooooooo sad and dried up!!! So glad he isnt my husband as we wudda divorced asap!!! The sex in these books is what every one wants unless ur seriously fridgid, people are to scared to explore i guess. Im demanding my husband reads them !! BET more husbands/boyfriends are getting MORE HOTTER sex recently since the books came out. Thankyou E.L.James.!!!!

[Moxo]

12:45 AM on 06/08/2012

So who is really upset by this...Republican men?

[Kerry Sweitzer]

07:17 PM on 05/31/2012

DR. Drew just said he will not read it so how can he even comment on this!!!! Judgmental male as I see it!!

[kwsuscc]

04:35 PM on 05/30/2012

I liked these books. The writing is not really superb, but it isn't supposed to be. It is accessible to everyone (old enough to read it or not) and the stories are, well, hot. I never read any Twilight books, and I hear people saying these are fan fiction, but I don't see it. Any way, if you haven't read it, do it. Maybe it will give you some ideas :)

[Sungoddess314]

11:42 AM on 05/28/2012

I was up until 2am reading this book and I have to work in the morning!!! The book does not involve violence against women in any way, shape, form or fashion. The female character has been given several opportunities to run yet she stays because she is 1) drawn to the dominant and 2) she finds this type of sex to be very erotic. Yes, she is using sex to get love, but, don't most women? It sounds like Dr. Drew, who is clearly very vanilla, is judging a world which he clearly knows nothing about (to be quite honest, he could probably use some loosening up). I don't usually read novels, but, i will read this book over...and over...and over again!

[LabRATTired]

03:57 PM on 05/26/2012

I'm am soooo buying these books today...

[CatBlake]

01:50 AM on 05/18/2012

Hi. I'm female, I like BDSM porn and sex, and I like being both submissive and dominant. For those of you who have absolutely no idea, or personal experience with what you're talking about, BDSM is a sexual orientation that is practiced with a lot of rules and understanding between partners. Maybe these women are buying because, oh I don't know, they like it? That doesn't mean everyone does, sure, but just because some women are embracing something churchies wouldn't be encouraging them to doesn't mean you have to bomb them down in order to keep from questioning your own sexuality. Believe or not, some women enjoy being subs. This is not a question for feminism, it's someone else's sex life and it's none of your business. Stop with the shaming. How about encouraging women to feel like it's okay for them to express their dominant AS WELL as their submissive sides, rather than condemning the fact that they enjoy submission.

[bostonhckybaby91]

05:47 PM on 05/10/2012

Sooo What Im getting from the article and the comments is that, because this book is so popular, that obviouslyyy women of the world have all been hiding sexual fantasies including BDSM, we like being dominated and roughed around during sex. Well...this is news...lol. Just a weird book in my opinion and I dont see how its so popular. Well I couldnt stand Twilight and the 6th grade reading level it was written at, but hey, the world loved that too. Oh well. I guess men can stop trying to be nice, sweet and occasionally sensitive, and revert back to manhandling women and "taking us" as they please right? lol

[Rodney S Johnson]

09:55 PM on 06/03/2012

"SOME" ...women enjoy, not ALL! It clearly states that. Are you just looking to be critical? If its not your speed, don't travel that road. But don't go trying to throw up roadblocks for those who want to try the autobahn.

[pogicraft]

10:52 PM on 05/07/2012

just face it dr. drew, women love getting slapped around once in a while