Groups Call for Boycott of ’Fifty Shades of Grey’
Social media campaigns claim the erotic novel glamorizes domestic abuse.
— -- With a week until the Valentine’s Day weekend release of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie, a new controversy is surrounding the racy thriller.
The National Center on Sexual Exploitation has launched a campaign, called #FiftyShadesIsAbuse, against it, saying the film adaptation of the novel glamorizes violence against women.
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“When you strip away the glitz, glamour the power, the fancy suits, the fancy soundtrack of the film, this is really just a movie about domestic violence and abuse against women,” Dawn Hawkins, the center’s executive director, told ABC News.
Another anti-“Fifty Shades” campaign, using the hashtag #50DollarsNot50Shades is calling for moviegoers to boycott the movie and instead donate the money they would spend on tickets to women’s shelters.
Others are arguing that “Fifty Shades of Grey” encourages women to explore their sexuality in a healthy way.
“The beauty, to me, of the book is getting women and couples talking about sex and exploring fantasies and I think that is a good thing,” Dr. Jenn Berman, co-host of "The Doctors," told ABC News.
The film's male lead, Jamie Dornan, 32, who plays Christian Grey alongside Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, spoke out about the film's sex scenes to Elle UK last month.
"The love story is more important than the BDSM aspect," Dornan told the magazine. "I mean, we are going to tell a love story, you know, it can’t just be what happens in the Red Room, that’s not a film. There’s so much more going on than that.
"I can understand why people say tying a woman up and spanking her is misogynistic," he said. "But actually, more men are submissive than women. Very powerful men. It’s a far bigger scene than I imagined: In pretty much any city in the world that you could name, people want to get spanked with a paddle with studs on it."