Fifty Shades of Grey has helped BDSM, but will it last? With the news that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson have been selected to play the leads in the Fifty Shades of Grey film, we’re about to be bombarded with more articles, essays and editorials about BDSM. We’ve seen a plethora of such press coverage already due to the popularity of the book.
This week I got an email from a young 18 year old woman in the UK named Katie who Googled “Japan” on her Kobo and got my eBook White Slave in Japan. She wrote me that she thought my book was non-fiction at first but was surprised to discover that it was an adult fantasy story. Realizing that I was a porn writer allowed her to ask me a question or two. She wrote: “Don’t you find it odd that teenagers are watching bondage? I watched it a few years ago and got hooked and couldn’t stop, but eventually I did. Then the Fifty Shades of boom happened and everybody was talking about it. I don’t know what to think is healthy anymore. What is your opinion?”
She was asking if there was a BDSM renaissance? Well, I wrote and told her that if she was 18-years-old, it was “OK” to explore her sexuality and discover what she liked. I found it interesting that she seemed to be either a little guilty or frightened. Not unexpected, but it does point out the the Fifty Shades of Grey book and film are reaching people who might not have have explored BDSM humiliation stories before.
Of course, it’s all about domination and submission, an interaction among humans that is as old as our species interwoven with work, gender, sports, sex and even war. It’s fraught with fear, shame, terror and historical catastrophe. I see proof often since I write adult fiction stories. A fan of mine says that if she sees a film or a news broadcast where men are “doing something” to a woman or women, she unaccountably feels some arousal and experiences some guilt. She said that reading about the Inquisition in the Middle Ages when she was 14 stimulated her imagination and shamed her. Now, this may be an extreme example, but it does point out the connection between domination and sex.
As the BDSM renaissance continues to popularize this aspect of transgressive sex, it will stir up much debate about what is “normal” etc. But, many of us know and understand that there is a natural connection between domination/submission and sex. The recognition of this nearly instinctual element of human nature will go a long way towards acceptance of BDSM. These things do run in cycles and we’re experiencing a crest in the wave. It won’t last, but If it takes a few erotic eBooks and hot romance novels to help open a few more minds, I’m all for it. I think even young Katie might agree.
Submitted by Leslie Parma 9/6/2013.
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