50 Shades of Messed Up

The leading actor even says it himself, “I’m messed up” (with much more colorful language.) This movie is dangerous on several levels. It tells its story with a Cinderella undertone that the behaviors portrayed are desirable and sexy. The leading actress is a “commoner” who is swept away by the allure of a billionaire’s attention. As an adult I’m able to separate fact from fiction as the story unravels, however, I’m concerned that a young adult might view this movie and take it at face value believing the exchange between the characters is normal. This movie not only challenges Catholic beliefs, but also good old common sexuality. As Catholics we shy away from controversial topics and seemingly whisper about them. But this is one of those times when we must let our voices be heard and discuss the topic we normally evade -- sex.

Sex happens all the time between people. According to our faith the ideal is to be married and for the purpose of procreation. But what happens when a movie challenges these traditional beliefs and incorporates bondage? I think it tells us that sex practices have progressed outside our faith and young minds are exposed to trend and advanced sex appeal. How are we to battle with the enticement that movies like 50 Shades of Grey represent? First by discussing sexuality openly, and second by reiterating our core beliefs where sex is concerned. Scripture is specific about:

1. The value of women: “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband,” (1 Cor. 7:3);
2. The value of sex: “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife,” (1 Cor. 7:4);
3. “The value of relationships: Nevertheless, [to avoid] fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband,” (1 Cor. 7:2).

The main character in the movie, Anastasia, is a seemingly wholesome female who exchanges her virginity for a sexual encounter with the lead character, Christian. Right from the beginning we see Anastasia has an issue with her self-confidence which is consistent with trivializing her virginity for an encounter with an otherwise detached male who is incapable of offering her any real intimacy. The story line then uses material gain to bypass Christian’s lack of affection. Christian treats Anastasia as a possession and belittles her with gifts every time he crosses the line. Christian point blank tells Anastasia that she is his “submissive” and expects her to behave as an unequal in all walks of life not just sexually. Contrary to scripture which states that women are worth more then material things: “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels,” (Proverbs 31:10).

50 Shades of Grey belittles sex and turns it into a carnal plight to make another subservient. Not only is this erroneous, it’s unhealthy. A young mind might perceive this belief as desirable if he or she hasn’t openly discussed sexual intimacy with an adult. Which is why it is necessary that parents beware of what this movie is advertising. There wasn’t anything real about this storyline. All of it was imagined. It reminded me a lot of the movie “Pretty Woman” where the lead actress is a prostitute and is “rescued” by a millionaire and lives happily ever after. Similarly, Anastasia is being rescued from her boring life into an allure of bondage. As previously stated, this movie plays out as some sort of fairytale that is plain old wrong.

When something like 50 Shades of Grey challenges all of these values, it’s time to re-evaluate what our teens and young adults are being exposed to. Because even though you don’t condone literature such as this in your home, we are all exposed to the 50 Shades of Grey that marketing has inundated us with. 50 Shades of Grey is out there to appeal to everybody. This movie’s explicit sexual theme didn’t film and turn to hide in a corner. On the contrary. This film had an disruptive “in your face” presentation that was referenced elsewhere on everyday TV and commercials. We seemingly cannot get away from it. Parents beware that this is not an underage appropriate movie. And while this film is Rated R - as a society we don’t always adhere to those ratings. This movie isn’t just unsuitable, I think it presents a much bigger issue with talking to our teens about what sex is truly about and not letting someone else do it for us. This film boldly romanticizes bondage, but it is wrong. Godly relationships are so much more than just sex.