Fifty Shades and Popular Culture

Many fans loved Fifty Shades of Grey. Many others loved to hate it. E.L. James'' trilogy of novels, and the film based on them, created a popular culture sensation, revealing much about a society that is both preoccupied with and scandalized by BDSM eroticism. Some critics argued that the franchise glorified kinky sex and normalized sexual abuse. Others praised it for illuminating consensual se...