Comments on: Fifty Shades of Linkbait

By: SandraM

SandraM — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 23:54:50 +0000

Thank you! I was beginning to think I was crazy thinking why the big hype over an erotica book. I’ve been reading erotica for years and years (I have quite a few that were edited by you!). And I just can’t understand why this book has come out of nowhere all of a sudden and selling like crazy. Erotica isn’t new!!! I find it very annoying that all of a sudden erotica has become ‘mainstream’ and is now ‘acceptable’???? Ugh.
But I did today just buy the first book to see what the freakin’ hype is about. I realize I shouldn’t complain until I actually read it. But I have a feeling that I already have better stuff in my library.

By: Izziey

Izziey — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 03:57:59 +0000

SPOILER
The most frustrating part, for me, is that Christian/Edward “discovers” his interest in BDSM after being molested as a fifteen-year-old by his mother’s married friend. He maintains a personal and business relationship for over a decade later. There are some responsible BDSM-themed stories out there. This is not one of them.

By: Clarisse Thorn

Clarisse Thorn — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 03:40:03 +0000

Finally got around to writing my own piece on this.
http://clarissethorn.com/blog/2012/04/20/50-shades-of-grey-fight-club-and-the-complications-of-male-dominance/

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:23:11 +0000

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17768823 Brave attempt at dealing with this on BBC’s Newsinight last night.

By: Mario

Mario — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 01:46:31 +0000

When I read about BDSM and the men who like to be dominated, I’ve come across in numerous places the assertion that a good number of these submissive men have high octane jobs where they boss people around and make the big decisions all day. The argument goes that they enjoy being submissive because they want a break from all that, and enjoy not being in control for once; they enjoy surrendering that control.

Now, I don’t know if any of this is true or not, statistically; but no one seems to have a problem with that characterization. I realize that women carry a lot of historical baggage when it comes to the notion of submitting and surrendering, but that doesn’t make the assertion that there may be women with high powered jobs and significant professional responsibilities who enjoy the little “S” in D/s any more bunk than when that assertion is made about men. If people are willing to entertain the notion on the one hand, they ought to on the other as well.

By: Lisabet Sarai

Lisabet Sarai — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 03:16:20 +0000

The only problem is – despite how ordinary, uninspired, even silly the book is – we’re all jealous and frustrated. Would any of us fight this kind of media circus if it were about one of our books? Sigh. I can’t honestly claim that *I* would. So everything we say (or at least I say) has a sour grapes component.

I can only hope that FSOG opens the eyes of some new readers and inspires them to search for more – and better – BDSM fiction.

By: Savannah Chase

Savannah Chase — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:53:15 +0000

What surprises me in this whole thing is people act like this is something new. That there has never been erotic romance or books with BDSM. It is like they are just waking up. There have been books like this for a very long time. People have just not been talking about them.

By: Mojo

Mojo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:03:54 +0000

My absolute favorite thing about 50 Shades is that it was literally Twilight fanfic. The author just changed names and a few details and published it.

Someone should write a script that would flip the names back to Bella and Edward and whatever the shirtless werewolf’s name is.

By: Joan

Joan — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:56:18 +0000

Oh, I hadn’t seen the Antoniou link yet. That’s fantastic. Thanks!

By: Pen

Pen — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:19:57 +0000

I was wondering where you were going to come down on the 50 Shades thing. I read it and thought that while it wasn’t ALL bad, pretty much everything that had to do with a BDSM relationship was total and complete crap. Ah well, it was too much to expect that the main stream media would pick up on something that was actually useful.
Oh, and just for the record, the subs I know — you know, people in REAL life — own their sexuality. They aren’t ashamed of it and trying to hide it to placate main stream ‘Meerka.

As always, love your articles and thanks for writing!
Pen

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:38:09 +0000

Hang on, my mom used to get trashy porn delivered by the boxload 30 years ago. It was called Harlequin. :P I am not saying romance novels are High Art or anything, but let’s be fair, a large part of it was smut, and this seems no better or worse or, moreover, NOTEWORTHY than any of that.