Fifty Shades of Grey: Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography

Fifty Shades of Grey:

Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography

Not sexual revolution but sexual exploitation

Valentine’s Day, more usually associated with flowers, chocolate and romance is, this year, being hijacked as a promotional vehicle for the release of the film Fifty Shades of Grey which opens in cinemas across the UK on 13th February. 

The book on which this film was based glamorised and legitimised both sexual and domestic violence.  With the mainstream release and promotion of this film opinion makers, the media and celebrities are legitimising this violence too.

Sexual violence and sexual exploitation are at an all time high, permeating our culture by way of hardcore pornography.  This film further legitimises them despite the fact that making violence ‘sexy’ has significant consequences to individuals, relationships and society.

The extended trailer for the film calls it a ‘fairy tale’; a misleading description which suggests a simple love story and masks the film’s true themes of humiliation, manipulation, abuse and degradation of women.

The ‘fairy tale’ in this film is that, in reality, women in relationships such as the one depicted in the film don’t end up like Anastasia — they often end up in a woman’s shelter, on the run for years, or dead. 

This film also perpetuates the ‘fairy tale’ that women can ‘fix’ violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving.

The Lie:         Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story

The Truth:     Fifty Shades of Grey is about abuse, violence and the

grooming of a young girl for sadistic sex

Violence is violence and inflicting sexual violence is not sexy.  While this should be a black-and-white truth, this film is selling it in all shades of grey.

Such is the hype surrounding this film it is naïve to assume it will escape the notice of children.  We have already seen:

• A beginner’s guide to bondage broadcast at 10.30am on ITV’s This Morning.
• The Barbican Cinema holding a Parent and Baby screening of the film
• The trailer for the film has been classified as 15 by the BBFC which means it can be shown to children at screenings of 15 rated films

The BBFC has given the film an 18 certificate because it “contains strong sex and nudity, along with the portrayal of erotic role play based on domination, submission and sado-masochistic practices”. 

We’d like to amend this to read: “Promotes torture as sexually gratifying, encourages stalking and abuse of power, promotes female inequality, glamorises and legitimises violence against women.”

Fifty Shades of Grey: Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography

Fifty Shades of Grey:

Mainstreaming Exploitation and Pornography

Not sexual revolution but sexual exploitation

Valentine’s Day, more usually associated with flowers, chocolate and romance is, this year, being hijacked as a promotional vehicle for the release of the film Fifty Shades of Grey which opens in cinemas across the UK on 13th February. 

The book on which this film was based glamorised and legitimised both sexual and domestic violence.  With the mainstream release and promotion of this film opinion makers, the media and celebrities are legitimising this violence too.

Sexual violence and sexual exploitation are at an all time high, permeating our culture by way of hardcore pornography.  This film further legitimises them despite the fact that making violence ‘sexy’ has significant consequences to individuals, relationships and society.

The extended trailer for the film calls it a ‘fairy tale’; a misleading description which suggests a simple love story and masks the film’s true themes of humiliation, manipulation, abuse and degradation of women.

The ‘fairy tale’ in this film is that, in reality, women in relationships such as the one depicted in the film don’t end up like Anastasia — they often end up in a woman’s shelter, on the run for years, or dead. 

This film also perpetuates the ‘fairy tale’ that women can ‘fix’ violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving.

The Lie:         Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story

The Truth:     Fifty Shades of Grey is about abuse, violence and the

grooming of a young girl for sadistic sex

Violence is violence and inflicting sexual violence is not sexy.  While this should be a black-and-white truth, this film is selling it in all shades of grey.

Such is the hype surrounding this film it is naïve to assume it will escape the notice of children.  We have already seen:

• A beginner’s guide to bondage broadcast at 10.30am on ITV’s This Morning.
• The Barbican Cinema holding a Parent and Baby screening of the film
• The trailer for the film has been classified as 15 by the BBFC which means it can be shown to children at screenings of 15 rated films

The BBFC has given the film an 18 certificate because it “contains strong sex and nudity, along with the portrayal of erotic role play based on domination, submission and sado-masochistic practices”. 

We’d like to amend this to read: “Promotes torture as sexually gratifying, encourages stalking and abuse of power, promotes female inequality, glamorises and legitimises violence against women.”

Watershed protection in the online space

Last week the Director General of the BBC, Tony Hall, featured in a wide-ranging interview in the Radio Times.  The discussion ranged from the representation of women in BBC output to whether The Archers has become too soapy.

One of the areas touched on was the watershed.  “What’s the point when kids can access unsuitable content on a variety of devices at any time?” asked the interviewer.  Lord Hall replied: “the watershed is still a useful way of judging the content and sensitivities, and taste and decency issues.  But has the watershed got a future in 20 or 30 years’ time?  I suspect not.”

Whilst it’s true that new technologies mean the watershed in 20 years’ time will look very different to what we understand it to be today, it is a concern to hear that the man in charge of the BBC thinks it has no future.

The watershed is now 50 years old and television viewers still support its existence.  Ofcom’s research shows high levels of regard with approximately 80% of parents saying they believe it is relevant and necessary.  Ofcom’s Director, Tony Close, has described it as “a vital means of protecting viewers.”  Whilst it can never be the complete answer to protecting children from potentially harmful material is a useful tool and, as such, is worth protecting.

Presently the vast majority of television is watched as it is broadcast although the number of ‘time-shifted’ hours consumed continues to rise steadily.  Before such viewing becomes the principle means of television consumption we need to consider how we extend the protection currently offered by the watershed into the online space.

This is not an impossible request; presently subscribers to cable and satellite services have to enter a PIN number to access post-watershed content which they have downloaded.  This is a workable solution which we would like to see extended to other on-demand platforms such as iPlayer.

There are feasible steps that can and should be taken by broadcasters to control access to post-watershed material by children.  Now is the time to consider how we can replicate the valuable tool which is the watershed online.

Sky leading the way

Last week Sky Broadband became the first major ISP to announce that it would block adult content as a default unless users opt in to access it.  Designed to filter out content deemed to be unsuitable for children aged under 13, Sky's Broadband Shield has been offered as default to new customers for a year but this will now be rolled out to all 5.3 million existing customers.

Most of the UK’s ISPs all offer filtering software for parents concerned about the potentially harmful material their children may be able to access online, but few have offered this as a default.

Sky's brand director, explained the change: "What we're doing now is simply making sure that the automatic position of Sky Broadband Shield is the safest one for all - that's 'on', unless customers choose otherwise.”

Starting this week, the company will email its customers about the blocker.  If households ignore the email, and a subsequent reminder, pornography and other websites considered to be harmful to children will be blocked automatically.  Sky’s brand director said: “It’s better for people to make their own choice, but until they do, we believe this process will be the safest one.”

It is to be hoped that Sky’s brave move will put pressure on other major internet providers such as BT – which has twice as many broadband customers as Sky – and Virgin Media to adopt the same ‘family-friendly’ approach. 

Anti-censorship groups have been quick to voice their opposition to the move and their assertions that filters do not block all unsavoury material are correct.  Filters can never be a substitute for monitoring children’s internet use and talking about other dangers beyond content, however they are a vital tool for parents and an important first line of defence.  As such Sky’s decision is to be applauded and, we hope, emulated across the industry.