How did ‘Fifty Shades’ go from extreme to normal in just 2 years?

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Februari 2015 | 18.18

So this is what it's come to: Bondage Bears. "Fifty Shades of Grey" has gone so mainstream that the Vermont Teddy Bear Company has now released a Fifty Shades Bear complete with "accessories."

And they're advertising on…wait for it…NPR.

It was only two years ago that a friend of mine who purchased the book in Pittsburgh shop was told by the cashier: "I put it in a paper bag. You'll need it for that one."

Perhaps she was half-joking, but it should be noted that people used to be embarrassed to read "Fifty Shades" in public.

This weekend it is set to become a blockbuster movie. Not at some seedy theater near Port Authority, but your local multiplex.

Which means that as you are taking your kid to see "Paddington Bear," you will run into your middle-aged next-door neighbor and a gaggle of her girlfriends going to watch, well, porn.

How did we get here? Much more quickly than I would have liked.

The initial blockbuster success of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy was driven, many speculated, by the e-book. After all, if no one could tell you were reading poorly written sex scenes on Metro-North, well, why not go for it? Others speculated that the cover of the hard-copy book was also cleverly done — in that it wasn't explicit.

As one editor told CNN, "Publishers are smartly responding to the marketplace and adjusting the cover approach for some erotic romance titles. Cufflinks and keychains can be just as evocative as bare skin."

Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey"Photo: Universal Pictures

Less is more? Not exactly the theory behind the book itself, let alone the movie. But never mind that.

A manager at Babeland arranges merchandise playing to the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" in New York on Feb. 4.Photo: Getty Images

Few admitted to reading it, at least publicly. The New York Times quoted "one Long Island woman, who insisted on anonymity so that she would not embarrass her employer."

She told the paper that the book had gained a devoted following among her friends. Would anyone be surprised if this same woman shows up at the local movie theater this Friday? Would she be embarrassed to run into her employer?

It was in 2012 that the Times asked readers: "Is It Creepy to See Someone Reading 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?" BuzzFeed ran a post called "29 People Caught Reading Fifty Shades." It consisted of pictures of ugly, weird and old people reading the book in public, with the subtitle, "YOU GUYS. This is what a Kindle is for."

The point is not that we expected only attractive people to be reading erotica at airports. But rather that a little discretion isn't such a terrible thing. And in less than two years, we have completely lost sight of that.

The "Today" show's Natalie Morales went on a tour of the "Fifty Shades" set and an extra video on the show's website has Natalie (whom the show proudly reports has read all three books) "learning a naughty word" during her experience. "Today" has been giving away tickets to the hoards of middle-aged moms who will be lined up this weekend.

Target has a new line tied to the movie — from blindfolds to massage oils to sex toys. It was set up right next to kids' toothbrushes, but under pressure the store moved it.

Usually when we talk about cultural shifts we are referring to changes that happen over 30 or 40 or 50 years, but this is a change that has happened virtually overnight, while we were all supposedly paying attention.

So, let's just take a step back and consider what we've lost in shedding just one more taboo. The movie is rated R, so many teenagers (even those under 17) will probably get in. As child psychiatrist Miriam Grossman wrote on her blog recently, "Fifty Shades of Grey" teaches your daughter that pain and humiliation are erotic, and your son that girls want a guy who controls, intimidates and threatens.

"In short, the film portrays emotional and physical abuse as sexually arousing to both parties."

And then there are the adults. Educated people used to say they didn't care what other people did "in the privacy of their own bedroom."

But we have clearly left that standard behind. There is nothing private about the way that people are enjoying "Fifty Shades" and yes, frankly, that is creepy. Especially the bear.


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