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Valery Perez
Ms. Diaz
March 21, 2015
English 120

Fifty Shades of Abuse and the Normalization of Violence in Media

Youd think a book that sold over 100 million copies that leaves women all over

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:58 PM

Comment [1]: Should be 12 pt

the world wanting more would make a good movie, right? Wrong. Fifty Shades of Grey is
more appalling than appealing. Its domestic violence dressed up as erotica, and if theres
one thing this franchise is not, its erotic. Fifty Shades of Grey glamorizes and legitimizes

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:58 PM

Comment [2]: Great alittertion

violence against women through sexual violence, abuse of power, female inequality, and
coercion.
Fifty Shades of Grey centers on the relationship between the one dimensional,

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:58 PM

Comment [3]: Good thesis.

mousy, pathetic Anastasia Steele and the much older emotionally crippled narcissist,
Christian Grey. Signs of emotional abuse and manipulation are present in almost every
scene of the novel. Christian actively stalks Anastasia; he tracks her phone and computer,
he controls her behaviors, her food intake, and dictates who she is allowed to spend her
time with, isolating her from friends and family. He belittles her, threatens her and
blames her for his unhappiness. As a result, Anastasia alters her behavior to keep peace in
the relationship. She becomes afraid of him, stating 1. You scare mewhat you are
offering is erotic and sexybut I am also scared you will hurt mephysically and
emotionally I don't want to end up black and blue (p. 394395). All of which are
textbook signs of an abusive relationship.

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:59 PM

Comment [4]: You dont need this
numeral.
Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:59 PM
Comment [5]: Something that might be
powerful for your paper is to bring out the
signs and match them up.

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The majority of people in favor of the franchise dismiss accusations of abuse by

trivializing its influence on society, ignoring the potential it has to create real world
effects. Most advocates post on social media defending the books by saying Its only
fiction, it has no real influence. Although Fifty Shades of Grey is fiction it can still have
damaging effects on society. Depictions of violence against women, whether in film,
music, novels, or pornography, normalize these risks and behaviors. Since the release of
the books there have been reports of serious violent acts against women inspired by the
franchise. A recent study by Michigan State University shows strong correlation between
women who have read the books and women who experience health risks including
physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, binge drinking, diet aids, and violence
victimization (Bonomi).
Other advocates like to point out that Fifty Shades of Grey empowers women and

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 3:00 PM

Comment [6]: Good use of source.

encourages them to explore their sexual curiosities. E.L James, author of the series
herself has said she doesn't like to hear about the comparisons between the abusive
relationship she accidentally depicted in her novel and the abuse real life women have
suffered, saying in a 2012 interview:
Nothing freaks me out more than people who say this is about domestic abuse.
Bringing up my book in this context trivializes the issues, doing women who
actually go through it a huge disservice. It also demonizes loads of women who
enjoy this lifestyle, and ignores the many, many women who tell me they've
found the books sexually empowering.

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 3:00 PM

Comment [7]: You would do this a little
differently. Ive changed the formatting to
show how a longer quote is done. No points
deducted cause we didnt go over this

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Unfortunately, Fifty Shades of Grey fails to accurately represent what a healthy

dominant/submissive relationship is misleading readers into thinking that sexual abuse

is something to look for in a relationship. As a general practice, BDSM can include a
range of activities that may be played out within and outside of sexual contexts; typically
the activities include aspects of power and pain, with consent (agreement about the
activities from involved parties). Within the context of consensual BDSM relationships,
substance abuse negates consent, negotiations and contracts are taken seriously, and

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 3:01 PM

Comment [8]: The parenthesis arent
incorrect, but a clarifications statement
could work better
With consent, which means agreement
about

boundaries are respected. In Fifty Shades of Grey, Christian uses power and pain
manipulations, such as restraint and physical punishment, which are both terrifying and
exciting to Anastasia. While a typical BDSM sexual encounter is characterized by a
submissive and dominant, Christian takes advantage of Anastasia's disempowerment
during many of their sexual encounters by pushing her to her limits and punishing her if
she is not compliant with his demands. In one of the scenes Christian uses alcohol to
impair Anastasia's consent, violating BDSM practices. The use of intimidation/pressure
while Christian is genuinely angry with Anastasia for not disclosing that she is a virgin is
inconsistent with consensual BDSM relationship practices. Communication is the most
important part within a BDSM relationship, none of which is expressed throughout the
book, for example: He hits me againthis is getting harder to takeand he hits me
again and again. From somewhere deep inside, I want to beg him to stop. But I don't (p.
275).
Problematic depictions of violence against women in popular culturesuch as in
film, novels, music, or pornographycreate a broader social narrative that normalizes
these risks and behaviors in women's lives. Fifty Shades of Grey trivializes victims of

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 3:02 PM

Comment [9]: This was wayyyy creepier
in the movie because he was HAPPY that she
was a virgin, totally fetishizing it. It was ew.

abuse and exploits their trauma. It is a horrible reminder to survivors of their own abusive
relationships, repackaged as a love-story. Instead of encouraging a franchise that
promotes abuse, people should recognize these issues and challenge the normalization of
rape culture to prevent further violence against women.

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:56 PM

Comment [10]: The paper falls about a
page and a half short.

Work Cited

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:57 PM

Comment [11]: Should be centered

James, E L. Fifty Shades of Grey. , 2012. Print.

Bonomi Amy E., Nemeth Julianna M., Altenburger Lauren E., Anderson Melissa L.,
Snyder Anastasia, and Dotto Irma. Fiction or Not? Fifty Shades Is Associated
with Health Risks in Adolescent and Young Adult Females. Journal of Women's
Health. 9 Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Bonomis, Amy E., Altenburger, Lauren E. and Walton, Nicole L. Double Crap! Abuse
and Harmed Identity in Fifty Shades of Grey Journal of Women's Health. 5 Sept.
2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015
"Author of Fifty Shades of Grey EL James Talks "Mommy Porn": I Didn't set out to be
Tolstoy. I Wrote It for Myself, for Fun." Books Review RSS. N.p., 08 Dec. 2012.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Content
Area

Description of An Exemplary Position Paper

Points

Argument

The introduction presents an overview of different stances on

_35_/35
the issue, demonstrating an understanding of these views and
contains a main claim statement. The writers main claim is
clearly defined and the writer refers back to this claim
throughout the paper. The writer presents an opposing viewpoint
(acknowledges a counter argument) and successfully argues
against that view. The writer uses at least two scholarly articles
or book chapters with opposing viewpoints to situate his or her
own argument. The writer has a clear understanding of these
articles and uses the research to enhance the writers own
argument.

Analysis

The writer uses secondary sources (articles or book chapters) in _24_/25

their paper to create an effective dialogue with the opinions of
other writers. The writers critical thinking skills enhance their
analysis helping the writer to present his or her own stance on
the issue as an extension of another writers argument or as a
synthesis of two opposing arguments.

Organization

The paper is organized in a logical manner that enhances the

13__/15
flow of the writers argument. The writer has included an
introduction and forward thinking conclusion. Body paragraphs
have topic/point sentences that show the reader the paragraphs

Sunny Diaz 3/22/2015 2:56 PM

Comment [12]: This title cracks me up
because theres no way she could ever be
considered anything like Leo Tolstoy.

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relationship to the argument and concluding sentences. The
writer has used transitions between ideas and paragraphs to add
to his/her ideas clarity.

Presentation
& Format

The report is free of

__10/10
distracting errors of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The
report meets the page length requirement. The writer has used
Times/Times New Roman 12 point font; the document in double
spaced, and uses 1 inch margins.

Style

The writer uses an economic style meaning that the language is

concise, not repetitive or overly wordy. Sentence structure and
meaning is clear.

_5_/5

Cover Letter

The writer has supplied a cover letter that discusses the

rhetorical situation for their document (3 points), overview of
strengths/weaknesses (2 points), a request for specific feedback
(1 point), and a reflection on the required SLOs (4 points).

8__/10

Total:
95/100
Valery,
Currently, your paper is pretty solid. You are very clear about your points and your
rebuttals to counterarguments. However, there were a few points that could be expanded,
chiefly how the relationship between Anastasia and Christian hits all the marks for an
abusive relationship. Also, you mention the movie in your intro, but you pretty much just
rely on the book. If you ever use this paper (perhaps as an op ed in a paper or something
of the like) definitely bring in the film as well. Ive never read the book, but I watched the
movie and while the first were really funny because of the terrible acting, the final
was tragic. Discussing both as normalizing forces could be worthwhile.
-SD