50 Shades of Stupidity

Looking at the recent trend, it seems the internet can be easily broken by Kim K’s behind, Beyonce’s “un-retouched” pictures or 50 Shades of Grey. All in all, I can say that the human anatomy can break the invisible.

About  the hot buzz that the movie 50 Shades of Grey is creating, it’s very hard to escape its charms if you are an internet user. The online forums are full of the movie’s reviews, its magnanimous box office collections and there is a swarm of people (mainly women) going crazy, landing up in Dream Ville.I personally have not read the book. Though I remember once going into a book store and coming across the book and finding the title interesting (I love grey. The colour I mean).

Coming to the movie, it’s available on the internet and can be easily downloaded. I watched it on the internet mainly because 1. With a movie like this, screening in India, I expected only the beginning and the credits in the end to roll out because the rest of the movie’s content would be censored (ie if the movie makes it to the theaters) 2. Read the newspaper people!! Swine flu is spreading like wild fire!!  Avoid public gatherings! & 3. Watching a movie at home means pausing it or stopping it at your own free will.

With a clean slate and an open mind, I started watching the movie. The movie has been projected as a love story that also has the BDSM aspect to it. As the movie progressed, I couldn’t help but mentally go through my check-list of a stereotypical romantic movie and was happy to see I scored full marks. Not even a single miss! (My parents would be so proud). The list goes like this. Ideally, when a love story is presented, it often consists of a few inevitable aspects. A “good” girl (for those who are a stickler for details, attached is a link to the qualities of a bad girl that recently got published in one of the forums and then got shared all over the world much to the shame of our country : http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-31535455 ), preferably a virgin (umm make that definitely), slightly confused, doe eyed and a boy, manly, not a virgin (because hey, c’mon, its 2015! Who cares about the virginity of a man!!??) and oozing masculinity in every possible way (like even while paying the bills and gifting cars. Oops! But that is a man’s job right?). And then, ta-da!! Opposites attract, simple physics and guaranteed chemistry.

When a movie is made, it targets a specific audience. It falls into a  genre. It becomes the part of a group or category. Some movies are made which are publicized targeting a certain audience, promising a few aspects (grossly misinterpreted) and become a rage. This one sadly, is one of those movies.

It’s not necessary for a movie to have good content. I mean, if someone has money and wants to create trash, who are we to stop him/her? It’s not necessary for a movie to be logical (being Indians, we know that by now) neither does the movie require to represent facts because it is nothing but a perception and if you have got a problem with it, don’t watch it. It’s as simple as that. What’s disturbing here is how such movies or such role-playing gets widely accepted across the world, across different cultures.

Like, somewhere in the movie, a little after the male lead discloses that he is a Dominant, there is a very important conversation that takes place between the two protagonists. It goes something like this:

Christian: well, when you had sex was there anything that you didn’t like doing?

Anastasia: I wouldnt know

Christian: what do you mean?

Anastasia: I haven’t…..

Christian: you are still a virgin!!

You’ve done other things, right?

Anastasia: no

Christian: where have you been? (holding her close)

Anastasia: waiting

And they kiss.

KISS???

Was I the only one who went mehhh on that one? Did it not ooze double standards? Especially when Christian admitted to having brought 15 women to his house for sex. Shouldn’t Anastasia just slap him for being such a MCP?

Every movie should make us think. Good things, bad things, funny things or anything. What this movie made me think was, the image or the social expectation of women is not because of men, it is because of women. It is because women and a large number of them think that the “good -girl –never- done- it -before” act is a mantra for finding true love.

I read a few reviews where it was made to look like the lead ie Christian Grey is a man who rapes, tortures and stalks a girl. Well, I think he is the only “normal” character in the movie because right from the beginning he sticks to his character. He asks for permission, explains the scenario, lays out loud and clear that opting out at any given point is an option. What else is he supposed to do? And there is Anastasia. Full of confusion, a hopeless romantic and someone who cannot speak for herself, enjoys violence and at the same time feels sorry for her own self.

Secretary was a movie that released in 2002 starring James Spader (his name in the movie is Edward Grey. Coincidence I guess) and Maggie Gyllenhaal that dealt with Dominant-Submissive behaviour. I would like to add here, the word “actual” because treading on such grounds, the movie was the result of a good amount of research, correct portrayal of the behaviour and the subject was  handled with maturity.

On the contrary,50 Shades of Grey is a stereotypical love story with the supposedly “normal” girl being a complete nut job and the “troubled” Mr Grey being the only consistent, non-weird thing in the movie.  It seems the movie has had a huge opening, collecting good money and that is something scary and to be worried about. Such movies are made and supplied because there is a demand for them in the market and the demand for such movies mean that the self image of a woman (here I speak mainly about women because most of the fan following of the movie are women) is that of a helpless, meek, sorry soul who can go through anything to be “loved”.

It is now time for a 2 minute silence for all the women who thought equality and individuality is essential to every woman’s existence.