There’s a call to boycott 50 Shades of Grey and even ban it from theaters. I’m not joining it. Are we really effectively boycotting something if we were never interested in seeing it in the first place? I’m simply not convinced that boycotts of films are effective. And, in some cases, I believe they actually have the opposite effect, by drawing attention to a film many would not notice at all.
I send a message to the entertainment industry every weekend, usually by not showing up at the movie theater. I cast a vote for the type of movies I (or my kids) want to see when I visit a Redbox.
Sometimes I wish I could recast my vote. Like the times I watched Cat Woman, Face Off, or any James Bond film. Those hours watching the new Star Wars movies? I’ll never get them back.
I’ve watched a preview or two – hello Hostel and Eyes Wide Shut – and felt instantly confident they weren’t for me. I’ve even wondered who wants to watch them. I’ve grimaced at movie posters, shook my head at terrible script ideas, even bemoaned the depravity.
But I haven’t pushed to keep them out of local theaters, rental boxes, or libraries. I don’t petition my friends not to go. although I’m always open to a lively discussion about their merits. Interestingly enough, when I do try to have conversations about these difficult subjects, I’m often told I’m overreacting or too heavily influenced by feminism.
Graphic sexual content, violence against women, misogyny: It’s all par for the course in Hollywood. I could form a boycott every weekend, but it won’t do much good if I’m not interested in also tackling the pervasive cultural norms that make these these type of films commonplace at my local theater.
I find many elements of the movie disturbing and I won’t see it, but I won’t try to keep it out of theaters through a 50 Shades of Grey boycott either. Here’s why I think many 50 Shades of Grey Boycotts are Ineffective:
1. Some Criticism is Inconsistent and Ignores a Broader Discussion
In 2005, Little, Brown, and Company released a young adult vampire romance called Twilight, featuring a teenage protagonist and her love interest, a century-old vampire in a 17 year-old’s body. 
Women world-wide became obsessed with the novel and the movies that followed.
I’ve read Twilight and watched all but the final installments of the film. Twilight could easily be found in the adult romance section of any library and should probably be located there. The writing is on par with your average romance and features a troubling relationship between an older man who controls things and an obsessed, insecure young girl. Twilight is an arguably problematic romantic fantasy, including a somewhat shocking sex scene, marketed to teenagers.
Oddly, some of the series biggest fans are Christian women who would never step foot in the romance section of the library and are fiercely against 50 Shades of Grey (originally Twilight fan fiction) because of its portrayal of a dominant/submissive relationship between two consenting adults. Interestingly enough, 50 Shades of Grey is an arguably problematic romantic fantasy, including graphic sex scenes, marketed to adults.
I don’t take issue with the idea of choosing not to consume certain content and I don’t think concerns raised about this film should be dismissed. I’m not interested in watching it and I definitely believe it has problematic elements. I do, however, think some of the arguments against 50 Shades of Grey are inconsistent, bordering on hypocritical, focusing on pornographic elements in this film, while ignoring problematic elements in art that many “boycotters” personally consume.
Openly boycotting or petitioning to have a single movie kept out of local theaters is a fairly narrow focus, allowing some individuals to take a “moral stand,” while opting out of a larger, messy, complex discussion. It’s a one and done approach.
Here is what I would suggest in place of a boycott alone:
- What about starting a real dialogue about the damaging depictions of women in film and literature?
- How about listening to some of the criticisms from people who practice a dominant/submissive lifestyle that this story does not accurately depict safe relationships?
- How are the problematic elements in this film a more subtle part of the media we casually consume?
- Can we have a conversation about the grey areas (pun intended) of romantic fantasy vs reality? Is there room for adults to indulge in safe fantasy through art?
- Can we talk about how pornography affects both men and women and how simply dismissing any merits entirely often closes down productive conversation?
2. We Have an Existing Rating System Based on Societal Norms
I devoured the Game of Thrones books, sometimes disgusted by the violence and objectification of women, sometimes throwing the books in frustration, but entirely caught up in the story. When my neighbor learned of my love of the series, he offered to lend me season 1 of the television show. Just a short way into the first episode, I knew the nudity and violence represented on film weren’t for me.
I didn’t finish the show. I also didn’t throw it in the trash or plead with my neighbor not to finish it. But we could certainly have an in-depth discussion about print vs film, moral standards, the imbalance of nudity for women in films, or what level of violence is personally acceptable.
If every film, book, or tv show with sexual or violent content were banned, how could I answer those questions for myself? Whose standards would we use? How would we distinguish between the historical violence in, say, Band of Brothers, fantasy violence in Star Wars, and sports violence in Rocky? Who decides?
We already have an imperfect ratings system in place, based on societal norms, to help us make some of these decisions. Some people decide to take a black and white approach. Others do a bit more trial and error. I would be much more comfortable if there were ratings for misogyny, violence against women, and doesn’t meet the Bechdel test. No matter how we feel about the ratings system, there is a distinctive difference between declaring “I won’t watch or read this” and “No one should watch or read this” and “No one can watch or read this.” Plus, I know very few circumstances where “you shouldn’t see/do/read this” has had the intended effect.
3. When “I Won’t See it” Blurs with “No One Can See it”
I attend a local book group with women from my congregation. We don’t choose one book to read, but rather a theme. This group formed long before I came along, but I always imagine the theme idea came about to sidestep worries about trying to accommodate everyone’s moral sensibilities.
When I choose a book to read, I am guided by my own feelings about content, including sex, language, violence, and themes and I’m not restricted by someone else’s. I am grateful for this approach because I’ve experienced the uncomfortable restrictions that come with trying to please everyone’s sensibilities.
When I listen to my friends describe their different selections, I weigh whether they will appeal to me, stretch me, challenge my ideas, even offend me. And I am grateful for the opportunity to do so; glad to have vast libraries of books, films, and art that represent humanity in its endless variety.
I don’t see the availability of art that I find problematic as representative of community mores, just as I don’t believe that Westboro Baptist Church represents Kansas City. I don’t feel the need to keep them out of places where adults can make informed decisions. I am more frightened of burning books and moral bonfires than I am of questionable content.
Jumping into boycott mode can feel very close to censorship for many people. I absolutely get that many people are boycotting for sincere and valid reasons, but I don’t believe a boycott is an effective way into hearts and minds.
My hope is that 50 Shades of Grey will do more than momentarily outrage us or provide a current moral high ground. I hope it will draw together groups who normally form battle lines around these types off issues, finding a common ground to start a much needed conversation.
What’s your take on 50 Shades of Grey? First in line at the theater? Who cares? Yes, please? No, thanks? Boycotting?
Who cares? Someone told me of a line that depicted the guy rather indelicately removing a feminine hygiene product, along with a narrative of the language in it (bad writing).. which led me to not WANT to read it. I doubt that any of the ladies that had a bout or 2 of nookie over the writing (why guys were buying it for their mates)… are still that into it, or that the amounts of S & M products bought since then have significantly increased. People read it and moved on. I don’t care about it.
I have zero interest in 50 Shades of Grey. I have zero interest in Twilight. Twilight is repellent to me because it’s bad writing. 50 Shades is repellent to me because it’s horridly written fanfic of a badly written series. If you’re interested in kink, there are far better written books out there, like Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series.
But boycotting? No. Just because *I* think it’s horrible and I’m astonished that anyone can possibly appreciate it doesn’t mean that NO ONE should even be allowed to do so.