While most people are tired of hearing about everything ‘Fifty Shades’ (including myself) I ran across an article in the Telegraph this weekend that made my blood boil (and gave me a good laugh once my blood cooled).
Written by William Sitwell, the entire article is about how men are negatively affected by Fifty Shades of Grey and by women who have the audacity to read it in ‘public’ with the covers showing. He quotes colleagues and friends thoughts on the book with comments including:
“A slow dread crept over me – and a large degree of embarrassment.”
“I was on the Tube this morning and couldn’t help but notice that the woman sitting next to me was reading a book on her Kindle. I couldn’t help but notice it because the text was enormous, and it was filthy.”
He then goes on to say:
You see, we men are embarrassed, mortified, squirming, enraged, even, at what’s going on. How would you mummy-porn addicts feel if I hopped on the bus brandishing a copy of Big Ones or Razzle or Knave (or whatever these magazines are called, because, honestly, I wouldn’t know)
And then he asks why women’s porn is acceptable and men’s isn’t . He cautions men not to read it because they’ll be confused and dismayed unless they’re men who have everything Christian Grey has. He concludes by telling men that if they want to ‘subtly’ get their women to stop reading the book they should invite their mothers over……unless of course their mothers are reading said book.
So here’s my thoughts for all men, British or otherwise, who are embarrassed, mortified, squirming……
- If you’re nosy and rude enough to be looking over my shoulder and reading whatever it is I’m reading, you deserve what you get.
- If you see no difference between
well….there’s no help for you I’m afraid. Go ahead and take your copy of Razzle on the bus with you. Seriously, I’d love to see that.
3. While you’ve been falling asleep in front of the television for years, we’ve been reading the likes of Harold Robbins, Erica Jong and Sandra Brown.
4. If you’re confused and dismayed by a character you encounter in an erotic fiction book, how do you live with yourself after watching a porn flick when you realize you aren’t ‘joe stud’? (And don’t even try and tell me you’ve never watched one)
5. What’s in it for men?? Are you kidding me? What’s in it for women while you’re perusing Razzle???
Here’s the thing. The internet has created a sexual revolution. Women have access to porn, toys, forums, media and social networking. They can shop for pleasure goods both online and in brick and mortar stores that are no longer the tacky, cheesy, neon-lit back alley enterprises catering to men. They can read and share with other women around the world and get answers to their questions, share their stories, laugh, cry and get excited about trying something new. They’re learning about themselves, their bodies, what gives them pleasure. Women around the world are taking control of their sexuality, and it’s about damn time.
What’s in it for men? When your wife/girlfriend/lover comes home one day after reading something erotic with a shopping bag full of goodies and she can’t wait to get you into bed to try something new with you….well…….you tell me….what’s in for you?
I love this post! Fifty shades is just a top of the iceberg. And the iceberg is made of modern man and woman unfulfilled desires. Frustrated man will reach for illustrated porn, while frustrated woman will reach for more subtle form; erotic prose. But the fact remains they are both exhausted by demands of their daily lives, frustrated by lack of time … enslaved in some form of ‘cubical nation’ production line … this is where real issues are. So called ‘modern life’ has stripped us of our most primary and basic functions. Making love is one of them.
Thank you,
Daniela
Hi Daniela! Thanks for your comment! It’s definitely the tip of the iceberg! But I think what’s happening is more and more women aren’t hiding the fact that they like erotica. Research shows women are definitely now watching porn, so visual is just as important to women as prose. It all depends on the mood we’re in. We just aren’t hiding the fact that we like it too
I am a man…and don’t quite get it. It seems like forever that men have felt they needed to hide their porn from women…and when its finally revealed that women dig porn too they are freaking out! Why is this not a good thing? (scratching my head in bewilderment).
It is odd isn’t it? You would think they’d be holding their hands up and saying ‘finally!!…now you know why we like it!’. The outrage from men has died down quite a lot as more are realizing the little ‘benefits’ they’re getting from their partners reading these books. I must say they’ve accepted it far quicker than women have accepted their men watching porn