There’s already been a lot of debate over whether Fifty Shades of Grey is just a harmless fantasy, or if it promotes abusive relationships through its inaccurate depiction of BDSM. Now, some feminists on Twitter are urging viewers to boycott the upcoming film adaptation of the novel, arguing that spending money on the movie is tantamount to endorsing Christian Grey as a role model.
In the last few days, the #50dollarsnot50shades hashtag has been circulating on social media, asking people to donate to domestic abuse charities instead of seeing the movie. On Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, supporters of the campaign are arguing that Fifty Shades romanticizes abusive behavior.
I cannot express how much the existence of this book & movie bothers me. #50DollarsNot50Shades #fiftyshadesisabuse pic.twitter.com/5pNfyy7cSQ
— The S.J. Babe (@SJBabeMKE) February 4, 2015
https://twitter.com/HowlingHannah/status/562923465016352770
give to a domestic violence shelter instead of seeing this movie. #50dollarsnot50shades pic.twitter.com/iqcsWrc15X
— erinomaista! (@erin_omaista) February 3, 2015
As well as suggesting various charities and women’s shelters that need donations, the #50dollarsnot50shades hashtag campaign highlights disturbing passages from the book, including the many scenes that portray Christian Grey as manipulative and cruel.
This campaign has certainly drummed up some much-needed support for a handful of women’s charities, but it’s unlikely to make much of a dent in the film’s overall success. Ticket pre-sales are already through the roof, and Fifty Shades-related publicity is nigh unavoidable. Even on Tumblr, that bastion of feminism and social justice discourse, Fifty Shades of Grey was the No. 1 trending film last week, and all of the top posts are positive comments or GIFs from the trailer.
Photo via fiftyshades-movie