What are the messages the Fifty Shades trilogy leaves us with – and are any of them actually useful in real romances, or should we pretty much view this story as a cautionary tale? That would be fine – if the stories didn’t conflate control with love, display a very murky understanding of consent, and imply that Christian’s many toxic, borderline abusive traits are all part of his preference for BDSM.
The Fifty Shades books and movies center on the quiet virgin Anastasia Steele and her dom love interest, Christian Grey.