Monday 26 May 2014

How Fifty Shades of Grey is taking over the world

I'm going to assume that you've heard of the Fifty Shades of Grey book trilogy. If you haven't then firstly, where have you been hiding?! Secondly, there is a film coming out Valentine's Day next year (2015) that you will no doubt be dragged along to.




So, not only did Fifty Shades reach record figures of 5.3 million, but it appears to be influencing other weird and wacky things. For example, I recently read an article by the Independent that there was "a rise in STIs among over 45s". While I thought this was completely ridiculous, the article does have a point. 

Doctors are worried that Fifty Shades is encouraging people to encourage things they have never tried before without using protection, which they and the British Medical Association fear will lead to a rise in STIs, especially in over 45s. 

There is a stigma surrounding young people regarding protection, however it appears that Fifty Shades is beginning to change this to a stigma of all ages. Oh dear. 

Not only that, but Fifty Shades is also influencing baby names. The Huffington Post noted that the name 'Grey' significantly increased in the list of baby names since the emergence of the book, so no doubt that Christian and Anastasia will also surge up the baby name list. That'll be interesting to explain to the "Fifty Shades children generation". Awkward.



Despite all this, Fifty Shades did not rank highly on the American Library Assocation's list of criticised books. Weird, but intriguing. 'The Adventures of Captain Underpants' was apparently far more scandalous with its' use of words such as: "wedgie" and "poopy". If you've read Fifty Shades then you know the language used in the book is far more outrageous, if you haven't then let's just say that the language and imagery is rather colourful and vivid. If you weren't a bashful person before reading the book, it's safe to say that it would've made you blush profusely, therefore it's difficult to imagine a children's book receiving more complaints than this book. 

In conclusion, people are clearly happy with Fifty Shades and it's stirring some interesting debate (and quite possibly a few loins), so I can guarantee that you will definitely be affected by these books because it appears to be taking over the world.  



P.s. If you're a fan of the Fifty Shades series, then I suggest checking out some of the fan art because it is awesome! http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/fashion/50-fanfic#slide-1 

Sources: 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9459779/50-Shades-of-Grey-is-best-selling-book-of-all-time.html 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/the-darker-side-of-fifty-shades-a-rise-in-stis-among-over45s-9433820.html

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/grey-is-now-a-baby-name 

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/fifty-shades-not-that-risque

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