In the realm of interesting information bandied around at an academic conference, this article came to my attention. When people talk about “50 Shades…” they mostly point to the facts that it’s A) badly written, B) a knock off of Twilight, C) pretending to be about BDSM when it isn’t. What they don’t talk about is that in the 21st century the bodice ripper is still selling and what this points to in our culture concerning gender roles and expectations. If we taught men that there was a possibility that they could be given a life without responsibilities where they could have everything they want and it would be handed to them by a woman who would love them and fulfill them, would we have an industry that wrote such stories incessantly?
The article points towards this discussion that is ongoing in a multitude of communities. Something to think about: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/books/fifty-shades-of-grey-s-and-m-cinderella.html?_r=0