I know I said I'd only do this like twice a week, but I have so many words in my brain that if I don't write it out now, I swear it'll explode. So I'll just say you get what you get, with however much I post until I am done with this book.
Chapter 7
We're in Christian's Playroom, and apparently he's into some BDSM. What, pray tell, is BDSM? BDSM stands for Bondage, Discipline, Dominance/submission, and Sadomasochism.
That last word is a bit of a doozy, so I'll define that one too: it is the receiving of pleasure—often sexual—from acts involving the infliction or reception of pain or humiliation.
Here's a link for a BDSM glossary, because you won't believe how many people I heard say, "I don't what that is but it sounds hot!" BDSM Glossary (NSFW)
This room is pretty much everything I'm imagining a BDSM room would need. I myself am not into BDSM, but the internet is a wonderful place and there's a website I frequent where it has multiple websites within websites of every hobby/movie/tv show/craft/ etc you can imagine. There's one for BDSM, so I found someone, who is an active participant in the BDSM to give me their 2 cents on if 50 Shades of Grey portrayed the life style accurately or pretty accurately for a tame book.
"The book is terribly written. Even if you take out the poor writing and awful editing, it's treats BDSM as some sort of sick disease that the main character needs to cure from her hunky perfect man. He's into BDSM because he was abused and molested as a child. As our pure, virgin heroine cures him with vanilla sex. She doesn't want to be in a BDSM relationship. She enjoys parts of it sure, but she constantly treats it as some sort of freakish, sometimes sexy quirk of her SO.
The book isn't based in any sense of reality. At one point, the author has the male lead saying 'I make $100,000 an hour.' He is 27, by the way. He also manages to ignore any sort of limits the main character has regarding her boundaries. Abuses his immense wealth to stalk and coerce her following his unhealthy obsession.
His past subs are treated as deranged women as well. No part of BDSM is actually painted in a positive light. It's all some sort of somewhat sexy, dark past of his that is thrilling. Basically I wanted to set it on fire."
This is coming from someone who is the "dominant" in a BDSM relationship (the role Christian tries to portray). They also told me that in any BDSM relationship it is for mutual satisfaction, in that the two personalities in the relationship work well because the person enjoys being a dominant, and the other enjoys being the submissive. It is equally sexually satisfying for them and for the most part when they are outside the confines of the bedroom, the sub is free to do as he/she pleases. They are both also well aware of what it means to be in this sort of relationship and both understand this and both want this.
Why did I go out of my way to find someone in that life style and take the time to actually understand what it means?
Because research, even in a fictional story, is important. And there's a lot of stuff that E.L. James researches in this book to make sure it's accurate, but the biggest blatant theme of this book, she just kinda throws various broad brush strokes at it to make this Christian the person he is, and thus pisses off an entire community and leads women astray with this.
Why did I go out of my way to find someone in that life style and take the time to actually understand what it means?
Because research, even in a fictional story, is important. And there's a lot of stuff that E.L. James researches in this book to make sure it's accurate, but the biggest blatant theme of this book, she just kinda throws various broad brush strokes at it to make this Christian the person he is, and thus pisses off an entire community and leads women astray with this.
Now... onto the rest of this chapter... Ana is in Christian's play room and she's taken aback. She realizes her fear, but he's hot, so she'll probably ignore it. It comes out that he wants to "play" with Ana in his playroom and he's wanted to since the moment they met.
Then this quote... this quote made me leave the story for a while so I could walk away and eat some chocolate. Pregnancy has made me very hostile (Progesterone and I do not mix well) and it's amplified by what Ana thinks to herself...
"Please him! He wants me to please him! I think my mouth drops open. Please Christian Grey. And I realize, in that moment, that yes, that's exactly what I want to do. I want him to be damned delighted with me. It's a revelation."
 |
| Someone buy me this cat. It's super fluffy. I want to cuddle it. |
Remember earlier when I said that BDSM is between two consenting adults who understand what they're getting into? Remember that? Seriously, I just wrote it like 5 minutes ago.
I don't think Ana can consent here. She's a miserable person, desperate to please the romantic hero of her dreams, and she's unable to say no to anyone. I think if Christian Grey asked her to rob a bank or kill a man just to watch him die, she would jump at the chance to please him. In fact, when Ana asks what she would get out of the arrangement, Christian's answer is, "me". I don't feel that's an entirely fair way for a dominant to answer that question.
Know how I know this isn't healthy? Ana's next revelation about herself:
Kate had said he was dangerous, she was so right. How did she know? He's dangerous to my health, because I know I'm going to say yes. And part of me doesn't want to.
In case you're wondering, my entire reaction to this popularity of this series in that "this is what women want" was met with this:
So they leave the room, Christian takes Ana to her room because he doesn't sleep with people, and she asks him the question... "So, will you like, be my boyfriend?"
To which he responds: "Nope, I don't do that. Just in it for my jollies."
That's the jist of it. But my money is on "she's going to try to change him" and she'll "give this a go, it's no big deal." I know this. I'm betting cold hard cash on it.
I know this because Ana is a narcissist, and also, there's 19 more chapters to this book.
I know this because Ana is a narcissist, and also, there's 19 more chapters to this book.
OH! And it's revealed that she's a virgin.
And Christian wins Mr. Sensitivity of the decade award with his reply:
"You're a virgin?" he breathes. I nod, flushing again. He closes his eyes and looks to be counting to ten. When he opens them again, he's angry, glaring at me.
"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" he growls.
-swoon-
