Does “Fifty Shades of Grey” Make It Okay to Read Porn In Public?

By Sam

In the past, when the word “porn” popped up into conversation immediately I thought of either immature, poseur boys or creepy old men who post up in their basement being…well…creepy. But recently, porn has begun acceptable, all thanks to the trilogy that has sparked much more than just interest: Fifty Shades of Grey.  

If you’ve been living under a rock these past months, Fifty Shades of Grey tells the story of innocent, yet secretly strong, Anastasia Steele being taken on the ride of her life (literally) by the dark, damaged, beautiful, wealthy Christian Grey.

These novels take porn to a whole new level. Now, it is normal (well not normal, per se, but definitely more mainstream) to be interested in and admit to knowing something about this “industry”.  All the sudden, women are much more interested in sex, and it’s their hormones that are raging.  While typically porn provides men with a fantasy or at least something to live vicariously through, it is now women who are reaping the “benefits” of pornography.

I must admit, I’ve read all three of the novels, as have my mother, my grandmother and my aunt.  Actually, the same book has been passed along the three of them.  I, on the other hand, read the book on my kindle.  Which leads me to my next thought: Would you read the actual book version of Fifty Shades of Grey in public — on the train, on the plane, at the beach — or would you, like me, try to hide it on a kindle?

Fifty Shades of Grey has taken the once private (well hopefully) act of sex into the public eye. If this type of porn is now acceptable, what does that mean for the rest of this industry? Watching or reading porn used to be a hush hush hobby, but now, will men begin to bring their laptops on the plane and watch their favorite “movies” during the flight? Will there be previews on normal television for new releases? We’ve already seen Fifty Shades of Grey skyrocket to the top of the bestsellers list, what’s next?

What’s more though is the AGE of those reading it. I’m not quite sure how I feel about my grandmother blushing over the same parts of the novel I blushed about. Is it weirder to see a mother reading it than it is someone in college?

In my defense, I did not even know what the book was about when I bought it (and trust me, I endured the shock of a lifetime upon reaching that first… scene), but looking back, I would probably stick to the kindle. No matter how mainstream this novel has allowed porn to become, do I REALLY want the creepy looking man sitting next to me on the train to know that I’m reading about kinky S&M and… enjoying it!? No thank you.

[Lead image via Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock]