Raise your hand if you've ever read 50 Shades of Grey. Now raise your other hand if you've ever seen the movie(s).  If your hands remain by yours sides, then don't worry, we're here to introduce you to the world of the 2011 viral sensation that was 50 Shades. In this episode we look at the rise of the series and EL James (aka Snowqueens Icedragon), and examine just how it go so darn popular. We'll also address some of the pros and cons of the story, so please pay attention to the below trigger warnings. This episode is NSFW, so make sure you have your headphones on! Laters, sparkly babes.

TW: BDSM, Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Abuse, Disordered Eating, Self Harm

National Domestic Violence Hotline

Love is Respect National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline

RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline

National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

Terms:

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• NSFW
  
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  • Not Safe For Work
    
  
  
  
• BDSM
  
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  • BDSM is an acronym for bondage & discipline, dominance & submission and submission & masochism. It’s an umbrella term that covers a range of activities and roles, some of which include sex and others do not
    
  • There is a lot of information out there on this, but here is a good succinct article that includes some history on BDSM
    
  
  
  
• Intimate Partner Violence, or IPV
  
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  • This describes physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy.
    
  • Please visit the CDC website for more information
    
  
  
  
• Fanfiction
  
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  • Also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or ff, this is fictional writing written by fans, commonly of an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settings, or other intellectual properties from the original creator(s) as a basis for their writing
    
  
  
  
• Mommy Porn
  
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  • "Mommy Porn is a sub-genre of erotica...that is characterized by its perceived audience and elegant description of female sexual domination...The characteristics that define Mommy Porn are: Its focus on female sexual fantasy; The introduction of an innocent female protagonist to an unimagined world of sex; A controlling, alpha male love interest; and its detailed description of sex without using graphic words." (Urbandictionary.com)
    
  • Also one of Jackie's least favorite terms
    
  
  
  
• The Fifty Shades Defense
  
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  • Also known as the "Rough Sex Murder defence," this defense measure is employed by some of those accused of murdering a sexual partner, who claim that the death occurred because of injuries sustained during "consensual rough sex, most often through strangulation or restraint.
    
  • Statistics and some of the most notorious cases
    
  • The Canadian case we reference
    
  
  
  

Articles read:

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• "Fifty shades of Grey, the viral myth, and the Truth about how things get popular" (Penguin Press, 2017)
  
• "Why We Love Fifty Shades of Grey" (Bunting, 2014)
  
• "E.L. James is Still Shocked 'Fifty Shades' is so popular" (Tinubu, 2020)
  
• "Reading '50 Shades' Has a Bigger Impact that you might think" (Wilford, ND)
  
• "150M shades of Grey: how the decade's runaway bestseller changed our sex lives" (Cain, 2020)
  
• "What's Wrong with '50 Shades of Grey'" (Berl, 2013)
  
• "Reading 'Fifty Shades' linked to unhealthy behaviors" (Michigan State University, 2014)
  
• "She's Fit to Be Tied" (Dowd, 2012)
  
• "Consent Isn't Enough: The Troubling Sex of Fifty Shades" (Green, 2015)
  
• "Will Fifty Shades of Grey Make 'Mommy Porn' the Next Big Thing?" (Goudreau, 2012)
  
• "50 Shades of Grey: Why 'Mommy Porn' is Hot" (James, 2012)
  
• "How Many People are Actually Doing S&M? We Decided to Find Out" (Rinzler, 2015)
  
• "A Dominatrix Reviews 'Fifty Shades of Grey'" (Pels, 2015)
  
• "'Fifty Shades of Grey' Was the Best-Selling Book of the Decade in the U.S, the NPD Group Says" (PRWeb, 2019)
  
• "The Evolution of E L James" (Alter, 2019)
  
• "Fifty Shades of Grey" (Colgan, 2012)
  
• "Master of the Universe--Fanlore Wiki" (Wiki, ND)
  
• "What Indie Authors Can Learn From E.L. James' Self-Publishing Success" (Spatz, 2018)
  

Podcasts listened to:

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• "50 Shades of Grey" MYLF Talk
  
• "50. Fifty Shades of Grey" Couples Talking Couples
  

Master of the Universe pdf to download