The new Fifty Shades of Grey trailer is out, and it looks as though it’s covering up the more malicious content of the novel with a slick, stylized exterior. This Valentine’s Day, what better way to celebrate our romantic relationships than watch a romanticized portrayal of abuse!

Let me be clear that I am not conflating the use of BDSM, a dominance-based erotic play, throughout the novel with abuse in and of itself. What I mean to address as problematic in Fifty Shades is the toxic relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey that many women today actively idealize. The treatment and distortion of BDSM within the novels are inherently misleading, incorrect and damaging as well. 

See, BDSM is acceptable (not abusive) as long as it takes place between two informed, consenting adults. With lines such as, “I can’t touch you, because I’m too frightened to show you any affection in case you flinch or tell me off or worse—beat me,” E.L. James, the author of the series, utilizes BDSM not as a means of expressing sexuality, but rather as a form of punishment, a threat.

Later in the series, James frames BDSM as something only damaged people turn to because they feel the need to inflict pain on others. In addition to glamorizing destructive ideas, James misrepresents the BDSM community, a group that is already stigmatized for its practices. 

One can properly contextualize Fifty Shades only by considering how it was first conceived. Originally named Master of the Universe, the erotica series began as a fan-written work of fiction based on the characters Edward Cullen and Bella Swan of the Twilight series. In addition to blatantly plagiarizing character profiles and plot situations, James makes them more menacing to society. If Twilight instills harmful expectations in its readership (which it does), Fifty Shades outright validates domestic violence.

Though many of the characters’ behaviors in Twilight garnered attention through their abusive nature, Fifty Shades exaggerates these traits and, in effect, exacerbates them. Where Edward becomes angry with Bella whenever she goes against him, Christian physically threatens and occasionally beats Ana when she has done something he believes is wrong. 

James portrays these actions as romantic, insinuating that these are behaviors that women should desire from their partner (in solely heterosexual relationships). Women should want men to seek to control their lives. They should want to be addressed as children who don’t know any better. They should want to conform to the desires of their significant others.

On the other hand, the novel perpetuates the idea that heterosexual men should want to possess and manipulate their partners. They should want to be closed off from the world and ignore the wants and needs of others. They should be strong and emotionally stunted. 

The roles expressed in Fifty Shades are extremely patriarchal and reduce men and women to stereotypes that are damaging to both specified genders. It represents enormous steps backward for women’s rights and interpersonal relationships in general. 

With “princess culture” evolving toward something more progressive (see: Frozen and Brave), it’s absurd, archaic and disturbing that in the realm of literature, so many people celebrate the Fifty Shades series so enthusiastically. 

Gender politics are most frequently directed towards men. Yet, women must also assume some responsibility for allowing the current thorns in American society—the deep roots of misogyny, the shaming of those who are deemed to be “other,” or the rape culture epidemic. 

A woman wrote Fifty Shades of Grey, and women make up the vast majority of those who purchase such novels. Not only men buy into harmful ideologies. This February, men as well as women ought to reject such insulting garbage.