Lately, many women that I know from different walks of life and even different generations have shared with me that they are reading the book, 50 Shade of Gray. While I haven’t read the book, which is selling faster than Harry Potter, due to my extreme lack of interest in the subject matter (sorry ladies!), I thought I would blog based on my reaction to what others have told me about the book.
To be honest, the fact that this book has become so popular is not that surprising. Graphic sexual novels have been around for quite a while, and provide an outlet for people to explore what they perceive as their “darker side” in a safe way.
While I am personally not that interested in controlling women or being controlled, since it is my belief that people can never be controlled, and anything more is just an illusion, the popularity of this book does seem to imply that a significant group of women like to imagine being sexually adventurous. After all, what you watch is what you crave.
One other thing I don’t quite understand, is why women don’t ask their husbands or lovers to role play, if this apparently is so important to them, but I have to guess that their relationships don’t allow for such open exploration. How sad. Further, I am sure that some adults don’t allow for safe sexual play in whatever method they deem fun due to stoic belief systems. Also sad.
However, what is more interesting to me is the social acceptance that seems to have surrounded this book. People are openly talking about it with friends and strangers.
This is a good thing.
Historically, in the western world, due to the religiosity of society, that “the darker side” has existed, but has been labelled as unhealthy, and immoral, and thus, while continued to be practiced, resulted in the unwanted issue of guilt, which has very negative ramifications on the individual striving for happy living.
Let me clarify. I am not taking a stance on whether pornography is good or bad, as that is not the purpose of this post. Rather, the point is that if you are into something, and not willing to admit to it, there is a incongruency in the truthfulness of your life, that will lead to unhappiness, and will end up exploding under negative pressure somewhere else in life.
However, with the general acceptance of this book by society, I think it demonstrates a new moral fortitude to live honestly, for which I have deep respect.