Confession: I Read Fifty Shades of Grey
Brace yourself! I have a confession to make. Are you ready?
Here goes.
~deep breath~
Confession: I read Fifty Shades of Grey.
There. I admitted it.
Now before I start losing readers left and right, allow me to explain why.
There is a lot of hype in the media about these series of books and now the movie that is coming out around Valentine’s Day. While men have feasted their eyes on pictures and videos of pornographic images for a million years, I guess society thought it was high time that women were introduced to this level of what some are calling erotica. Truth be told, though, it was in all of the Harlequin Romance Novels way “back in the day.” I was not a fan of those romance novels, though. I would rather live the fairy tale in real life with my husband instead of read about some far fetched, over reaching fantasy land where the knight and shiny armor comes riding in to save the damsel in distress … and they have mad, passionate sex in the middle of it all. I don’t want to read about the perfect guy that will romance you and sweep you off of your feet because truth be told, there is no such thing as the perfect guy. They might come close, but no cigar. But what I do know is that I have the guy that is perfect for me: my husband!
I guess you could say that curiosity killed the cat. I bought into all of the media hype and had to find out for myself what all the hype was about! So, I bought the first book on my Nook Color. Other women had this book out as if they were flashing it around proudly as they let everyone on the beaches and by the pools know exactly what they were reading. I took a different approach as I’d rather not advertise to the world that I’m reading a “naughty” book. The only person that needed to know that I was reading this book was my husband, and yes, I was honest with him about it. I did not hide this in the darkness away from him. It was hidden out of sight from onlookers, as well as my children as I wanted to be sure that this book did not fall into their hands as it is highly inappropriate for their eyes. Being an adult, though, I did not think it would hurt to see what this book had to offer.
It is a made up story with lots and lots of material that could be quite offensive to the vast majority of people due to the content. They talk about bondage, torture, and pain being inflicted for the sole purpose of providing pleasure to the recipient. That sounds odd in and of itself, but there are some individuals that love this stuff. They don’t consider it weird or twisted. They enjoy it and find it pleasurable, but it has to be something they both consent to. It has to be something that the couple would enjoy and be interested in sharing together. Otherwise, it would violate the other. A lot of people consider this abuse or abusive in nature. It would be, if it was not mutually agreed upon and something that both parties consent to before they get started. That is hard for some to grasp. Believe me, I understand completely. I think that I tend to be a bit more open minded in this area, which will surprise the vast majority that know me especially since I appear to be a Miss Goody Two Shoes to a lot of people! Now isn’t that funny – Miss Goody Two Shoes not only read the book series, but she’s talking about it openly on her blog! Yep. I sure am!
The thing is, if this does not appeal to you – if it does not peak your interest – don’t read it and don’t go see the movie when it comes out.
For me, I was a tad bit curious what all the hype was about, so I did read the first book. I found that once I got through the first round of explicit details on their “play time,” the rest of it really didn’t impact me. I have not lead a sheltered life. I know what they are referring to, and I know that a lot of people reading those scene – yes, it could be women as well as men – could become sexually aroused if they were into this type of “scene.” Others, though, could skip right over the “raunchy” parts and focus on the story line. Ultimately, that is what I ended up doing. And you know what? When I did that, I found the book interesting so much so that when I got to the end of the first book I slammed it shut saying I was NOT going to read the rest of the books … yet found myself right back at my Nook Color within a few days because curiosity killed the cat again, and I just had to find out what happened next in the story line.
Believe it or not, this movie that shows a powerful business man completely taken by a very submissive young lady, does actually have a love story and isn’t just about sex, bondage, torture, etc. Their love story will captivate you and hold your interest so much that you will want to see what happens in the other books just as I did. I could care less about all the explicit details of their made up sex life. I wanted to find out why Christian was the way he was, and the book did dive into this. When it reached that point in the story line, I was satisfied with the money I spent because of how deep the story actually went in that direction. Further, they do live happily ever after … with a twist toward the end of the third book.
Will I see the movie when it comes out? Probably not! I read the books, and my curiosity was satisfied with that.
A lot of people are up in arms over the books as well as the movies. I say that if this is not your cup of tea, don’t read it, and don’t watch the movie. If curiosity got the best of you like it did with me, read until your curiosity has been satisfied. If you don’t want to read all the explicit details, skip over those parts in the book like I did.
There is no need to lose your peace of mind over this. Some will be for it, some will be against it. It’s all what your personal tastes are in this area.
Is it porn for women? It could be categorized as such due to the erotic nature of some of the content in the book, but to me, it is no different than the Harlequin Romance Novels. If those have been socially acceptable for years, why the uproar now with Fifty Shades of Grey? That’s the big question to me. I think that people were okay with the erotic nature of the romance novels simply because it was a tender love story surrounding the sex scenes in the books. However, the problem with Fifty Shades of Gray is the BDSM content. I think if the bondage scenes and the torture scenes of the consenting parties were not in the books or the movie that is coming out, there would not be any problem at all with Fifty Shades of Grey.
The bottom line for me is that if it doesn’t interest you, don’t read it or watch it. If you find it offensive, stay away from it.
Could the content within the books and movie cause one to stumble? Yes. It could lead one to fantasize about the characters in the books. It could also lead one to express a hidden interest in BDSM that they’ve never verbalized before. It could lead one to lustful thinking and ways. BUT … so could other things out there like the romance novels of yesteryear and the racy sex scenes on daytime soap operas. If you read the books and express your interest in the “scenes” with your spouse, and you both mutually consent, I see no problem as long as you both focus on each other and NOT on fantasizing about the characters in the book. It’s no different than reading about different sexual positions to try with your spouse. Would you say those types of self help books for couples are inappropriate? If you use those between yourself and your spouse within your marriage, I have no issue with that either.
Ultimately, it is up to you as to if you read the book or watch the movie when it comes out. But, before you listen to anyone bashing the content or before you jump on the bandwagon, realize that what interests some people won’t interest others … and that is perfectly okay! To each their own. I am not going to stand in judgement of anyone that reads or watches Fifty Shades of Grey. I caution you not to either.
That’s my two cents, for what it’s worth.
23 Blast Movie
Wow. That’s all there is to say after watching the movie 23 Blast!
This powerful movie is based on the true story of Travis Freeman and takes you through the real-life struggles he faced. You see, Travis was at the top of his game (football) when he contracted a serious infection that left him blind. This all happened so suddenly, and it took them all by surprise – him, his parents, as well as his classmates and teammates!
I won’t spoil the movie for you, don’t worry. But, I would like to share how it spoke to my heart.
We were shown through this movie a glimpse of how this life altering event truly impacted Travis. Initially, in his shock and disbelief, he became depressed, and who wouldn’t after something like this happening?! He had high hopes and dreams, and yet now, he was surrounded by darkness. Literally. His vision was taken, and at that time, he thought it impossible to accomplish all that he originally had in mind.
Through the love of his parents, and with friends who encouraged him, to his football coach, and with the sometimes hard to handle sight coach that would not allow him to wallow in self-pity, he found the courage to move on! Travis felt inspired, once again, to chase his dreams of playing football even though he was blind.
Impossible, you say? Not so fast!
But first, I’d like to share with you something that struck me within the storyline of this movie, and that is a friendship Travis had with his best buddy childhood, Jerry Baker. Jerry helps Travis through some of his darkest moments despite his own addiction battles with drinking, later turning to drugs, resulting in an unfortunate and very sad turn to his life.
This is a family type movie; however, it has a PG-13 rating due to the teenage drinking scene. It allows both men, women, and a younger audience to be enlightened and encouraged to pursue your dreams with determination despite where you come from or what you may go through in life.
Interested in your very own copy of this movie? You’re in luck! Enter our giveaway below!
Good luck!
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
Team Us
The weather was absolutely beautiful this past weekend so we packed the horse trailer with saddles, bridles, reins, extra hay, and our horses, of course. We set out to find a new heritage preserve in our area where we could ride our horses over 400+ acres. Knowing it would be a bit of a ride, we grabbed Ashleigh Slater’s book entitled Team Us to accompany us on this trip. Little did we know when we set out on this trip that this book wouldn’t just be our “entertainment” as I would read as my husband drove our rig, but it would also open up deep discussions during our travels.
The idea behind this book is to read it together as a couple. You could choose to read it out loud as I was doing while my husband drove, or you could read a section and hand the book to your spouse to read at their leisure. No matter how you decide to do it, it’s just important that the two of you are … dare I say it … on the same page. All silliness aside, though, this book can be used as a valuable tool for a deeper connection and an opportunity for reflection between you and your spouse.
As I went through the first few chapters to catch my husband up on what he had missed since I read ahead, we made a point to go back over the exercises at the end of the chapters. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation as the miles rolled by. There was serious discussion as well as times we would smile and start laughing as we reminisced together.
The truth of the matter is that a lot of people go into marriage with blinders on. They are so excited about starting their lives together, often times getting wrapped up in all of the details to make their wedding day “just right.” But, what happens after the wedding cake has been cut, toasts have been made, and the final dance has taken place at the reception? You begin your LIFE together as husband and wife. You should no longer be consumed with “me” but should, instead, focus on “US.” You and your spouse took each other’s hand, lit the unity candles at the wedding, and walked down the aisle Mr. & Mrs. united in holy matrimony. And thus you two joined together as a team to do this thing called life! What happens more times than you think is that people are still stuck in their singleness mentality. If that is how you approach marriage, it just will not work. It is, in fact, a team effort. It takes BOTH of you working together to make this union work!
Ashleigh had me from the very beginning as I flipped the pages of this book to the introduction and read a quote from Audrey Hepburn that Ashleigh chose to begin with:
If I get married, I want to be very married.
I said something similar last year when my husband and I went through a rocky period before being more determined than ever to make this work! What’s the point in going through the motions? If you’re going to get married, be ALL into this! Don’t do anything halfway, especially when it comes to marriage! Don’t just give 50% … give 150% ALWAYS! If you’re going to do something, do it with much determination, dedication, devotion, and loyalty! It’s not all about me. It’s not all about him. But it is completely about US!
Being one that does not wish to spoil a good book by giving you all of the details and wealth of information found within the pages, what I would like to do is offer you a book of your own to read! IF you are interested in learning more about Team Us, please enter our giveaway below for your chance to win Ashleigh Slater’s book. I am confident that you will be nodding along as you read her words as you’re sure to identify with them, just as I did. As you read through, you will have a chance to get your spouse involved. You may be surprised, just as we were, of the deep, heartfelt discussions that will follow!
Ashleigh offers ways to strengthen the unity in your marriage. Whether you’re a newlywed or have been married for 12 years like my husband and I have, your marriage will benefit from this book!
Enter to win your copy today!
Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.
