To the editor,

I was interested to read the review of “Fifty Shades of Grey” in last issue of The Observer. The opinions of the movie were quite the opposite of mine. I agreed on one point though. The soundtrack was amazing. Plus the camera work was creative. On every thing else I differed. The acting was OK, the character development and plot were horrendous and the display of BDSM and feminism was extremely uninformed. All in all, this movie was much, much worse than I expected.

My first point of contention with the article was that Anastasia was not portrayed as a strong, independent woman. She was only shown standing up for herself a few times in the movie and each time was willing to back down. She only ever asks for the basics of a relationship, like space, affection and support. But when her wishes aren’t met, she does nothing, and the movie moves on. Anastasia only shows independence on a very shallow level. Standing up to an abusive partner should not be proclaimed as strong and independent but rather expected of female characters. Demanding respect from your partner is a basic form of self-respect. Too often movies show off their strong females characters, only to fall short of what strong and independent really mean. And “Fifty Shades” is that kind of movie.

On the second point, “Fifty Shades” portrays BDSM in an extremely uninformed manner. The movie disguises an abusive relationship under the mask of BDSM and kink. There is no talk of a headspace, and the idea of consent is only brought up periodically.

BDSM is not a kink for psychologically abused individuals and does not pervade every aspect of a relationship. When two consenting adults take part in BDSM, they go into what is called a headspace: a certain mindset. Who is dominant and who is submissive changes based on the situation and the people involved. BDSM does not require the submissive to be completely powerless. In fact the person in the submissive role retains a lot of power in that the dominant’s power is completely derived from the willingness of the submissive. None of this variability is discussed or shown in “Fifty Shades.”

All of this variability is involved in the dynamics of kink and role-play, but the two most important factors in BDSM are consent and trust. Although “Fifty Shades” talks about consent before the act, there is no discussion during or after. Consent needs to take place constantly and consistently when engaging in any sexual activity, but especially when dealing with BDSM. The people involved need to trust each other to remember the other’s safety and pleasure. This is essential to kink but is neglected in “Fifty Shades.”

Taking all that into account, “Fifty Shades” was not only a bad movie but a damaging portrayal of gender and BDSM. The movie shows only one shade of sex and it’s Hollywood’s.

McCoy Edmonds
Freshman