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Williams 1 Kristy Williams Malcolm Campbell English 1103 3 October 2013 Shades of Gray in the Feminist Movement American

society has a tendency to become obsessed with the next big thing.
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(Franchises come in the forms of novels, films, television, and accompanying merchandise to

empty our pockets and fill a void inside of our souls.) 2(There is nothing relatively new about them, nor is there any denying what makes trends so enticing; they give people a chance to embrace something that stretches beyond themselves, and fill them with the ecstasy and joy of new experiences.) The current phenomenon that is sweeping the nation, and the entire western world, comes in the form of 3(Mommy Porn.) Fifty Shades of Grey, by British author E.L. James, was published by an independent company in Australia in 2011, and became the bestselling book in the United States in 2012. 4(Its two sequels followed in second and fourth place (USA Today).) Though critics panned the novel for its poor writing quality, it soon became the fastest selling book ever in both e-publications and physical copies (Williams). The plotline follows the internal monologue of a young woman, Anastasia Steele, who signs a contract to become involved in a bondage/disciple, dominance/submissive,
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What put the void there in the first place? Oxymoron points in one sentence? ...nothing relatively newnew experiences. 3 What exactly is Mommy Porn? 4 Name the sequels and maybe if it was in the same year or the following year.

Williams 2 sadism/masochism (BDSM) relationship with a handsome and wealthy entrepreneur, Christian Grey. Though many people love the storyline, the novel has come with its fair share of controversy. For example, the BDSM community has called foul on the portrayal of their lifestyle, saying that there is a lack of communication between the characters make their activity more abusive than masochistic/sadistic. Those outside of the community have also suggested that the relationship between Ana and Christian mimics that of real abusive relationship. While some praise the success of this novel as a sexual liberation for females, many feminists feel that the novel hurts the movement towards gender equality by romanticizing patriarchy and male dominance.5 Though the argument over female sexuality in the feminist movement is by no means a new discussion, it is still a sensitive issue. Since the late eighteen hundreds, feminists have been dealing with this topic, but mostly as a backburner issue. Original feminism sought equality in a heterosexual relationship and is characterized by, but certainly not limited to, the push towards womens suffrage. 6(Hewitt 15) The second wave of feminism, also called Hegemonic feminism, began in the late 1960s alongside the civil rights and anti-war movements. In this phase, sexuality and reproductive rights were dominant issues, and much energy was focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing social equality regardless of sex. 7(Rampton) 8(Many also believe that there is a third wave of feminism that began in the 1990s, but this is hard to define because, if there is such a phase, then it is unfolding before our

Great Preceding Paragraph! I really like the background on BDSM as well as the voices from that community, as well as the other side of the feminist spectrum. 6 Not sure where this in-text citation goes 7 Not sure where this in-text citation goes either 8 I like this sentence and its explanation of the newest, or nonexistent, feminist movement

Williams 3 eyes.) 9(Some of the main issues in this wave include the black and minority feminist movement, as well as the female image in media. However, with the media issue, there are different ideas about how feminism should be portrayed, especially in regards to sexuality.) In the so-called sex-wars, pornography has become a major topic of debate. The two major sides in this issue are the pro-censorship and the anti-censorship factions. The procensorship argues that pornography has led to the objectification of women, and promotes a system of patriarchy. In her book, Reconcilable Differences, Lynn Chancer criticizes this movement: This side is prone to underrate both the costs of sexual repressiveness, once the state intervenes to restrict pornography, and the human risks of strict judgmentalism and unquestionable dogmatisms. She also claims that this argument ignores the sexual desires of women, suppressing them along with male sexuality in an attempt to for a utopia.10 The anti-censorship side attempts to embrace pornography and female sexuality. 11(It also argues for the constitutionality of pornography, and claims that censorship violates the civil liberties of citizens.) 12(Their goal is to promote sexual freedom and encourage women to admit to their desires. However, this side is also not without fault.) They tend to ignore the idea that many women feel 13([alienated]) by male dominated sex industry.

I would consider putting these two sentences together, I think it would be a very strong statement. 10 Combining these two paragraphs may strengthen them both by keeping the pro and anti arguments together in one section of the paper and not breaking them apart. 11 Nice use of the constitutional rights, it adds strength to the argument. 12 Combining these two sentences could reduce wordiness and increase the effectiveness. 13 I probably just do not know, so ignore this if I am wrong; why are the brackets there?

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(In this argument, supports of the Fifty Shades trilogy seems to fall into the

anticensorship category; it is about female sexual liberation, and was written by a female author.)
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(Moreover, it has encouraged many women to openly discuss their sexuality, a topic that has

been considered taboo in the past. However, the inadvertent promotion of abusive relationships has been heavily criticized by those who typically support this faction.) In her review for the Chicago Tribune, Jessica Reaves admits that 16[her] first thought, on hearing about the runaway success of 17(Fifty Shades of Grey,) the erotic e-novel by (female) British television executive E L James, was something along the lines of Woohoo! Women embracing their sexuality! Let's hear it for feminism! Though once she started reading the books, her opinion was quick to change. In her own words, there's absolutely nothing wrong with 17(Fifty Shades of Grey") as a concept It's the book's execution that's problematic. Well, the execution and the characters. And the writing. And also the plot. 18(Her criticisms are targeted at specific instances throughout the novel, such as the protagonists frequent reminders to the reader of how attractive and wealthy Christian is, and how the mental instability of Christian is romanticized. Reaves, as well as many others, see Anastasias submissive nature as damaging to the feminist cause, and her attachment to Christian as promoting tolerance towards abusive relationships.) In contrast, those interviewed in Richard Perrys New York Times review emphasize how much sexual liberation the novel has allowed them to have. Many women accredit the series with relighting [the] fire under a lot of marriage beds. They also say that it has encouraged
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Consider revising this sentence, for clarification purposes only. Great use of the counterarguments back to back 16 Quotations marks are slightly mixed up, no end to this one 17 Title should be italicized like previously in the essay on page 1, paragraph 2, line 2 18 Great sentences, very well explained and formatted

Williams 5 conversations amongst friends about sexual desires and fantasies. 19(Even those who agree that James writing can sway towards asinine as time agree that pornographic writing has a certain purpose.) 20(French author Catherine Millet once wrote For me, a pornographic book is functional, written to help you to get excited.) 21(And certainly, James work has done just that for many women.)

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After asinine I get confused in the syntax of the sentence, I do not know if it is a typo, or missing punctuation somewhere 20 Nice use of the quote in the end 21 What else can you say about the women who are getting, excited with this series? Are they just having better relations with their significant others? Are they becoming more flirtatious and flamboyant in their sexuality and in their personalities? Have there been any instances where women have been assaulted, trying to achieve their own version of Anastasia and have experiences like she does in the books?

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