My amusement with the Fifty Shades series only goes so far. The books are, essentially, a detailed primer for how to successfully engage in a controlling, abusive relationship. The trilogy represents the darkest kind of fairy tale, one where controlling, obsessive, and borderline abusive tendencies are made to seem intensely desirable by offering the reader big heaping spoonfuls of sweet, sweet sex sugar to make the medicine go down.
Roxane Gay expresses her conflicted feelings about the Fifty Shades series, suggesting that while it can be entertaining, it fundamentally serves as a guide to maintaining a controlling and abusive relationship. The series presents a troubling narrative where manipulative behavior is romanticized, cleverly masked by the seemingly appealing sexual elements of the story.
Gay views the trilogy as a dark fairy tale, where dangerous tendencies are made alluring through erotic encounters. This juxtaposition creates a false sense of desirability around unhealthy relationships, which can lead readers to misinterpret the nature of love and control in real life, highlighting the serious implications of the narrative.
