I wasn't going to write an author's note for this story; I think everyone is aware of my point of view towards the Fifty Shades books. I just wanted to state that this story was written in response to a blog based on the book. I myself have not seen the film but I have heard from a reliable source that Hollywood has put in Christian asking Ana for consent (quite rightly) in the disputed "rape scene." (You know the one in her bedroom after she tells him "It was nice knowing you." He initiates sex, she says no. That appalling line "If you struggle, I'll tie your feet, too. If you make a noise, Anastasia, I will gag you" LITERAL QUOTE. Please, tell me how this is not rape. She says no explicitly, he does it anyway. Her later enjoyment DOES NOT JUSTIFY THIS.) Unfortunately there is still apparently copious amounts of stalking/controlling behaviour although it's not as bad as the book.
I also quickly wanted to thank everyone who has been so kind towards this story, I have had many PMs (and even a lone brave reviewer!) agreeing with me and thanking me for expressing my opinion.
I do understand that not everyone agrees with me about these books (although, for me, the abuse portrayed is so obvious..) but I wanted to say that I HAVE read the books. Yes, all three of them as I, perhaps naively, hoped the author would address Christian's behaviour. So yeah, I have done my research for anyone bringing up that point. I AM IN NO WAY AGAINST BDSM AS PART OF A SAFE CONSENSUAL RELATIONSHIP. The relationship in Fifty Shades is not safe or consensual. Christian gets Ana drunk to "Keep her honest" (bull) which voids any consent Ana gives and often performs acts on Ana without explaining it first (such as the orgasm denial, which leaves Ana extremely confused and upset.)
I also wanted to address people who say that I have to experience abuse to understand it, which of course is completely unfounded. I have never experienced abuse myself (thankfully) and I am very sorry for everyone that private messaged or reviewed who has experienced abuse of any kind. However, for those people who argue that Christian's actions towards Ana are not abusive because it does not align with their own experiences, it may surprise you that not all abuse cases are the same.
Similarly for the "it's just fiction/just entertainment" argument, I would absolutely disagree that fiction writing cannot change the way you think about certain things. (To answer one recent review, I do not condemn the Hunger Games because it is not marketed as a "This is how you should run your country" novel. Its marketed as a DYSTOPIAN book. The same with Clockwork Orange and the other books you quoted. Fifty Shades has been marketed as a ROMANCE NOVEL which sickens me greatly. E L James even stated that she has "saved many failing relationships" with her book. She is selling it as a how to guide. Believe me, if Fifty Shades added a little more exploration of Christian's mind and was marketed as a physiological thriller, then I would have no problem with it) Additionally to this point the "don't like, don't read" argument is probably the worst one of all. I don't like to read news stories about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but am I going to stop reading them because they challenge me into rethinking my ideas? Of course not! In a similar way, reading Fifty Shades with the knowledge that Christian's behaviour is abusive is very interesting and is great material for debate.
I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence (except maybe Ms James) I understand that the vast majority of Fifty Shades readers are adults and therefore perfectly capable to make up their own mind about the books. I am not saying that if you enjoy Fifty Shades you are in anyway a bad or unintelligent person. I am not someway "better" than you because I can see abuse in every page and you cannot. The danger comes with Fifty Shades when we normalise and rationalise his behaviour. When we start to blame Christian's actions on his past or on his "issues" we are, in short, condoning it. Christian himself was an abuse sufferer, undoubtedly, but that DOES NOT excuse his controlling tendencies towards Ana. IT IS NOT ANTI-FEMINIST TO STATE THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE CONDONING THE NORMALISATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN.
In other words, I know that it is impossible for me to change everyone's minds and there will still be people that absolutely disagree with me (and will let me know in lots of colourful language with no actual interesting point to add.) But if I can persuade even one person to remove the rose-coloured glasses and look at the evidence, then I absolutely think that poking the hornet's nest was worth it. Read Fifty Shades at your own discretion but I highly recommend reading it in the knowledge that not only does Christian's actions happen in real life, but more often than not, the Ana Steeles are left in a psychiatrist's office, or a grave.
If you have any other problems I am sure they have been answered far more eloquently by this blog post
/2015/02/06/myth-busting/
(remove the "dot" and replace it with a .)