ELISHA VALLADARES-CORMIER
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
In the months since Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein began his free-fall from grace, dozens of high-profile men have been accused of sexual harassment, violence and misconduct. For the most part, the accused have resigned, been fired or pushed out of whatever organization they are a part of.
Al Franken is no longer a US Senator, Kevin Spacey lost his role as Frank Underwood and Matt Lauer was replaced by Hoda Kotb on the front desk of the “TODAY” show. All were men in power who used their position for their own pleasure and benefit. The women who were taken advantage of and how they were affected were hardly an afterthought to these men.
This entire scandal has given birth to a movement bigger than any other in recent memory. Women, and men, who have fallen victim to sexual misconduct have felt empowered to share their own stories on social media, which in most cases had remained closeted secrets until now. These stories are often accompanied by #MeToo to show solidarity with their fellow victims and say that they, too, were wronged.
Any decent human being, conservatives and liberals alike, will speak of their support for the victims and their movement. However, there are some who, while supporting and advocating for women’s equality and right to feel safe in the workplace without the fear of being sexually assaulted, are devoted fans and supporters of activities that sexually exploit women, namely through pornography and other mediums ordered to sexual stimulation.
There is much to be said about the dangers and destructive effects of the abuses experienced by women in the pornography industry, but that is a topic for another time. For now, I want to focus on an extension of the industry that has become socially acceptable and in fact received many accolades for its depiction of an abusive, demeaning relationship. I’m talking about “50 Shades of Grey.”
While I thankfully have never read the books or watched the movies, I have read enough reviews and been subjected to enough movie previews to piece together what the gist of the movies are, and it is in direct contradiction of the #MeToo movement, namely the liberals who so often parade themselves as the “champions of women.”
The trilogy focuses on a “controlling and sadistic millionaire” named Christian who seduces young, innocent Anastasia into “painful bondage sex,” according to the Fight the New Drug website. Specifically, the sexual practices of Christian are variants of BDSM, elements of which include bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. These are degrading actions that, when practiced in the “50 Shades” trilogy, feature what can really only be described as sexual abuse coming from Christian to Anastasia. He intimidates and threatens her, manipulating her into normalizing these degrading and abusive actions.
How is this compatible with all that alleged “party of women” stands for? On one hand, you have people denouncing the abuse and harassment stemming from decades of ingrained sexual objectification. Yet those same people call “Fifty Shades” a depiction of a young woman’s exciting discovery of her sexuality and consider the two’s relationship to be a healthy manifestation of love.
If that is really the case then why does the National Center on Sexual Exploitation consider the trilogy “an education tool for abuse,” – even proponents of BDSM call “Fifty Shades” an abomination and are quick to disassociate themselves from the movies. In the words of one columnist, “Anastasia and Christian’s relationship is not romantic. It is abusive.”
In essence, “Fifty Shades” teaches that men can and should easily manipulate women for their own twisted sexual pleasure, and that this sort of relationship can be healthy, an idea consistent with liberals’ own position. The left is the ultimate promoter of “free love.” Have sex without limitations, without consideration, for the ultimate goal of your own pleasure, because that’s what you deserve.
We see this in practice with the constant promotion by the left of contraceptives, abortion and gay marriage that have turned the understanding of sex into a simple, inconsequential end to achieve pleasure. In turn, it has normalized abuse, such as the abuse featured in “Fifty Shades,” into entertainment for the masses. There are many who now believe that the relationship of Christian and Anastasia is exemplary and should be followed, which a quick social media search will prove.
How, then, the liberals can continue to believe that they hold the moral high ground in regard to the treatment of women and #MeToo is beyond me. There is no excuse for one to say that they support and defend the victims of sexual harassment and violence while continuing to fund and promote “entertainment” such as “Fifty Shades.” This only will perpetuate the hyper-sexualized world that leads to such horrific actions, and time will prove that.
I hope, for the sake of all women and victims of sexual violence, that this trend will come to an end sooner rather than later.