Self

10 Ways We PRAY The Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Beats The Book

fifty shades

The film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, the first book in the mega-selling erotic trilogy by E.L. James, is almost here! It arrives in theaters Valentine's Day weekend (ladies, get your limos ready!).

With the casting of Jamie Dornan (The Fall) as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson (The Social Network) as Anastasia Steele, many diehard fans cried foul, saying that the filmmakers got it wrong. We're not sure any casting would have been universally warmly received (short of Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart), but we do think the film has a chance to definitely get some other things right.

Behold, our top 10 improvements on the book we hope to see in the movie:

1. No cable ties.

In the first book, when Christian visits Ana at the hardware store and picks up some DIY bondage supplies, it's implied — intentionally or not — that he's hoping to use cable ties as wrist restraints on his next guest in his Red Room of Pain. Big mistake. HUGE!

If used in such a way, cable ties could cause cuts, poor circulation, and a little thing called nerve damage. The only thing they should be used for in BDSM play is organizing all the cords of your various plug-in vibrators.

2.  No explosive orgasms from Ben Wa balls.

It's just not realistic, at least not for the majority of women. Giving them the same power as, say, a vibrator just sets women up for yet another sexual expectation most can't meet.

Balls (like LELO's Luna Beads) are better suited for working out your pelvic floor muscles and thus improving pelvic health, which can lead to better sexual sensations. But as little balls full of cosmic orgasm potential? Uh uh.

3. Give Ana some sexual experience.

Just a smidge. We're supposed to believe an adult woman who's not a member of the FLDS can graduate college with absolutely no sexual interest, no experience with men, and no attempts at masturbation ever? It perpetuates the myth that women aren't sexual creatures until the right man comes along. Please.

She's the virgin and he's the stud, and they save each other — gross. And even if we were to believe that such a mythical woman could actually exist, it would be totally irresponsible — reprehensible even — to dunk her over her head into the world of BDSM.

4. Full disclosure on the slave contracts.

Christian doesn't ever clearly articulate to Ana that slave contracts are not actually legally binding — you know, thanks to Abraham Lincoln and that whole abolitionist movement. Here's a kid, for all intents and purposes, who is not what you would call worldly or business savvy or lawyered up. Not cool for a romantic interest who's supposedly falling in love.

5. Easy on the controlling, abusive, stalker-ish behavior.

Christian spies on her and tries to control who she can see, where she works, what she eats — and she is not down with it. She's afraid he's going to hurt her; he causes her physical and emotional pain she doesn't want — that's not a D/s relationship, that's abuse.

And where's the aftercare? Christian is a terrible top. The movie should make him a better one.

6. More well-adjusted kinky characters.

It would be nice if the movie could add a character or two who's into kink who isn't royally fucked up. In the book, it's Christian the controlling abusive boyfriend, his crazy gun-wielding ex sub, and his statutory rapist from when he was a kid. Not exactly the best advertisement for the kink community, the majority of whom are uber-responsible, law-abiding, stable citizens.

7. Drop Ana's issues with eating.

With Ana forgetting to eat all the time, not being hungry and being forced to eat by Christian, it's like she's got an eating disorder. Maybe EL James was just playing around with a woman's ultimate fantasy of never being hungry, but it's a distracting issue — let the girl have a healthy appetite.

8. Have Ana enjoy the kink more.

She can be conflicted about it, sure, but she should ultimately love it, embrace it and not be so afraid of it.

9. Make the sole minority character less date rape-y.

Jose, basically the one minority in the book, is on a clear path to sexual assault as he tries to take advantage of Ana when she's super drunk outside the bar. He tries to kiss her even though she keeps saying no and trying to push him away. He continues to hold her in a bear hug and is about to commit a crime before Grey breaks it up.

Criminal tendencies aren't a great quality in a "really good friend."

10. No Ana narration.

We hope and pray the movie dispenses with Ana's insipid internal dialogue. Please no voiceovers about the "ghost of a smile" on Christian's face or her cartwheeling Inner Goddess.
 

This article was originally published at Em & Lo. Reprinted with permission from the author.