'Fifty Shades of Grey' on Netflix: How infamous erotic thriller romanticized toxic relationships
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The highly anticipated arrival of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' on Netflix has generated a significant buzz among fans and movie enthusiasts alike. The erotic film, which originally premiered in 2015, is an adaptation of the best-selling novel by EL James.
Starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in pivotal roles, the film revolves around Anastasia 'Ana' Steele, a shy and inexperienced college graduate who enters into a complicated relationship with Christian Grey, a wealthy businessman with a love for BDSM.
Shortly after its release, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sparked widespread discussion and debate, both for its explicit content and its portrayal of a BDSM relationship.
'Fifty Shades of Grey' is now set to be released on Netflix on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
Ahead of its release, let's discuss the problematic aspect of the movie. It seems that 'Fifty Shades of Grey' romanticizes toxic and abusive relationships. 'Fifty Shades of Grey' combines elements of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.
'Fifty Shades of Grey' romanticizes control, manipulation, and abuse
Throughout the film, Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) exhibits an intense and obsessive need to control every aspect of Anastasia 'Ana' Steele’s (Dakota Johnson) life. He often dictates her actions and interactions.
For instance, Christian is insistent on knowing who Ana is with at all times. Furthermore, Christian takes his obsession to another level by purchasing the company where Ana is employed.
Christian ensures that he can oversee and possibly manipulate her work environment to suit his desires. This is extremely toxic and unfair to a woman.
Another toxic aspect of Christian’s control over Ana is his unauthorized access to her personal financial information. Without her consent, he obtains her bank account details. This obsession feels suffocating on screen.
Healthy relationships are built on mutual respect and compromise. When one partner consistently dominates, it can lead to a toxic relationship.
Sex is more important than love
The conflicts and arguments between Christian and Ana are often resolved through sex. This pattern of behavior highlights a problematic dynamic in their relationship, where emotional issues and disagreements are not addressed through mutual communication but are instead temporarily alleviated through intense sex.
Rather than engaging in open and honest discussions about their feelings, boundaries, and expectations, Christian and Ana often skirt around important issues.
Their conversation is also often related to their sexual relationship, leaving little room for deep emotional connection. Moreover, much of their relationship revolves around sex.
In many instances, Christian tends to avoid discussing personal issues, preferring to maintain control over the relationship. Christian only opens up when Ana pressures him to do so. Emotional transparency should be a natural part of the relationship, not something that needs to be forced.
There's a huge difference between BDSM and abuse
BDSM, which stands for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism, and Masochism, is based on mutual consent, respect, and clear communication between partners.
However, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' frequently fails to make a clear distinction between BDSM and actions that constitute abuse. Christian's behavior towards Ana often crosses the line into abuse. While there are moments where Ana expresses reluctance, these are frequently overridden by Christian's sexual desires.
Christian gets her drunk in order to have sex with her. He also disregards the safeword - a code word meant to indicate the immediate need to stop the sexual activity.
Most of the time, they have sex when Christian wants to. Although this doesn't mean Ana doesn't want to, it's usually on his terms. This is apparent in the lack of consent within the relationship.
In one scene, he mysteriously locates her in a hardware store after they’ve only met once. He tracks her phone and shows up at a club to find her without her invitation, then takes her to his home and undresses her while she is unconscious.
Despite knowing she is a virgin, he merely gives her a laptop and tells her to do some research, without helping her to understand.
How 'Fifty Shades of Grey' represents traditional gender roles in modern relationships
Christian consistently takes charge of the financial aspect of their relationship, insisting on paying for everything and not allowing Ana to contribute. By taking control of the financial aspects, Christian asserts his power and influence over Ana. This is toxic in modern relationships.
During their dates, he also tends to order food for her without asking for her preferences. Instead of respecting Ana's autonomy and allowing her to make her own choices, he imposes his preferences on her.
He doesn't order food out of a sweet gesture; rather, he does it to control her life. Consistently making decisions for someone can foster dependency.
The film romanticizes a toxic relationship under the guise of love. Dictating every aspect of someone's life is not conducive to a healthy relationship.
How to stream 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?
'Fifty Shades of Grey' will be available for streaming on Netflix from Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
The standard plan with ads is available starting from $6.99/month. This plan allows subscribers to access Netflix's vast library of content.
For those who prefer an uninterrupted viewing experience, the standard plan without ads is priced at $15.49/month. This plan offers the same access to Netflix's content library but without the interruption of advertisements.
The Premium plan, priced at $22.99/month, provides additional features and benefits, including access to content in Ultra HD resolution and the ability to stream on multiple devices simultaneously.
'Fifty Shades of Grey' trailer