50 Shades of You're Kidding Me!!!

Okay, I've read them.  All three of them.  On my Kindle.  [So not only did I hate the books, I hated the reading experience, too, but I'm not here to harp on the Kindle - if you're reading my blog, you already know how I feel about books vs. e-books.]

Do you know how I feel about the latest go-round of "Mommy Porn"???  Do you want to know?

I was raised in a good Roman Catholic family, no nudity, no drugs, no sex and rock and roll (at least not until I went to college!  Rock and roll, Mom!  I'm talking about rock and roll!).

But I'm not a prude.  I'm a baby boomer, too young to have been a feminist warrior, but old enough to have seen a WHOLE bunch of changes in the way women have been and are being treated in this big world.  I can accept that what goes on in your room is your business, not mine, as long as there are no children being hurt.

My very first job interview out of college with with L-hman Brothers (pick a vowel, any vowel, but especially an "e"!) and I didn't get the job because I was young and probably going to get pregnant soon and leave them in the lurch.  I wasn't savvy enough to call him on his comments, but I was quick enough to ask why the person they were replacing had left:  sure enough, she had gotten pregnant.  It was an entry level office position and I explained that despite my College Degree and my obvious Overqualification for the Job, I also had College Loans that had to be paid off so I was really looking to start working right away and I promised I wouldn't get pregant for several years.  No dice, no job.  Of course, it was an easy promise:  hubby-to-be wouldn't be in the picture for 8 more years...

But nowhere, not ever, in all my 50 years, has ANY man asked me to be submissive to him in any way.  Not in a job, not in a marriage, not in a relationship, and not in a sexual relationship.  And I RESENT the "heroine" (and I use THAT term loosely!) being presented as a 22-year-old college graduate who actually STRUGGLES with the decision:  should I sign that contract, agreeing to be his sexual toy to do with whatever he wants, whether it hurts me or not?  Should I agree to call him "Sir" and never, ever look him in the eye when we're in his playroom?  Should I really agree to KNEEL before him, waiting for him to deign to mistreat me, looking only at his SHOES?!?!

REALLY?????????????????????

It's 2012, people!  I am SO offended by the whole idea that a young girl today would even CONSIDER this!  And not because the sex bothered me.  I read sexy romances all the time.  It's a writing style that sometimes adds to the story and sometimes IS all there is in the story.  Again, whatever floats your boat if it's not illegal is your business. 

You've already heard my rants about Twilight, I'm sure, how a series of books targeted at tweens should NOT, in my humble opinion, include a 16-year-old main character who struggles with how UNworthy she is to be with the hero:  "I'm too fat/skinny, not smart/pretty enough; he's so much handsomer and smarter than me..."  BLEGGGHHH.  I get it:  I know tween girls, the target audience, struggle with self-esteem.  I know that they would feel some connection with a main character who feels not quite good enough, but she should overcome, she should shake off the self-esteem issues, learn and believe that she IS GOOD ENOUGH IF NOT BETTER than that sparkly vampire!  Ugh.

Okay, 'nough ranting. 

I read 50 Shades of Gray, #1, #2, and #3.  I despised the girl, the main character, throughout the whole book.  Believe it or not, by the end of book 3, I actually came to like Christian Gray, self-admitted "50 shades of f-cked up" hero that he is, because HIS character developed.  He learned from his feelings and his relationship that love is more important than sex, that love and caring and a relationship don't need the bells and whistles, the shock and awe of his Dominant/Submissive scenario.  He grew up, folks, but I never felt like she did.

THAT'S what I disliked most about the books.  Oops, someone has to borrow my soapbox now...  Later!