Consent is a grey area? A comparison of understandings of consent in <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> and on the BDSM blogosphere

Barker, Meg

doi:10.1177/1363460713508881

Cited by 86 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…She introduced the idea of the 'charmed circle' of sexuality wherein privileged forms of sexuality reside and unprivileged forms occupy the 'outer limits'. The results of this study tentatively suggest a reorganization of Rubin's charmed circle of sexuality and potentially provide further evidence of the mainstreaming of pornography and kink (Barker, 2013a;Mulholland, 2015). Sex acts previously deemed to be in the 'outer limits' of sexuality (manufactured objects, threesomes, etc.)…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Sexualized imagery in advertising and popular media is common place (Gill & Scharff, 2011). Pornography has become readily available online (Attwood, 2006;Mulholland, 2015) and previously marginalized sexual practices such as bondage/discipline, dominance/ submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) are more visible in the wider heteronormative culture (Barker, 2013a;Weiss, 2006); a culture that privileges and normalizes heterosexuality and conventional binary gender roles. Thus, people are not only bombarded with messages that they should be willing and able to engage in sex at all times (Barker, 2013a;Kleinplatz, 2012), the Internet is enabling participation in increasingly diverse sexual practices, and sexual products and services are widely available online and offline (Attwood, 2009;Frith, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Therapists’ and non‐therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study

2018

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Objectives. Little research has examined the discourses that shape therapists' sense-making around heterosex. This paper explores the discourses of sexuality and gender underpinning therapists' and non-therapists' responses to a sexual experimentation scenario in a heterosexual relationship. It also considers the value of the novel technique of story completion (SC), in which participants are asked to write a story in response to a hypothetical scenario, for qualitative psychology and psychotherapy research.Design. This research used a comparative SC design (Kitzinger & Powell, 1995). Participants were sequentially presented with and invited to complete two story stems: one in which a male character suggested 'trying something new' to his female partner and one in which the female character made the suggestion. The stems were otherwise identical. Methods.A total of 100 SCs were written by 49 (28 female; 21 male) therapists and 51 (29 female; 22 male) non-therapists. Participants were recruited mainly via UK-based email lists and Facebook groups, and therapeutic training organizations, and the data were analysed using a feminist post-structuralist thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).Results. Both groups of participants drew on heteronormative discourses of sexuality and gender to make sense of the stem. Engaging in sexual experimentation was often depicted as a demonstration of being normal. In some stories written by women, sex was framed as a site for negotiating 'equality' and reciprocity in relationships. Therapists were more likely than non-therapists to frame 'difficulties' within relationships as opportunities for personal growth and increased emotional depth, and their stories included greater emotional complexity.Conclusion. These findings raise questions about practitioner training and whether it results in therapists drawing on narrow and restrictive discourses of heterosex in clinical practice. Practitioner pointsTraining on sexual issues is largely absent from non-specialist practitioner training courses, which potentially means therapists are ill-equipped to respond to clients' anxiety about sexual issues. Evidence from this and other research indicates that therapists' sense-making around heterosexual

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Therapists’ and non‐therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study

2018

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“…Our intention was to highlight, through satire, the demanding, and potentially psychologically damaging nature of people's relationships with contemporary technology. Fifty Shades of Grey [10] is a series of erotic novels that gained massive sales figures in recent years and has brought awareness of BDSM practices to a large audience [2]. Of relevance to the current paper, apart from their erotic content, these novels are remarkable for the controlling nature of the relationship between it's main characters (see [2][6] [21]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fifty Shades of Grey [10] is a series of erotic novels that gained massive sales figures in recent years and has brought awareness of BDSM practices to a large audience [2]. Of relevance to the current paper, apart from their erotic content, these novels are remarkable for the controlling nature of the relationship between it's main characters (see [2][6] [21]). Thus, as a recent cultural phenomenon that features centrally an unhealthy and controlling relationship, we felt that Fifty Shades of Grey provided the perfect vehicle for our metaphor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fifty shades of CHI

Buttrick

Linehan

Kirman

et al. 2014

CHI '14 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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This paper presents a critical lens on the nature of the relationship between people and contemporary technology. Specifically, the form and language of erotic BDSM romance fiction, a genre that deals specifically with the nature of power in relationships, and which has proved extremely popular recently, are used as a means for provoking reflection on the nature of power in the human-computer relationship. Three sexually explicit scenarios are presented, in which technology is portrayed in a dominant and controlling role, highlighting the often subservient and apologetic nature of human interaction with technology. We suggest that readers offended by graphic and explicit descriptions of sexual behaviour do not read further than this abstract.

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“…Recent interest in studying BDSM in non-pathological ways has increased, as researchers seek to understand diverse people, identities and practices Turley, 2016;. Studies have explored BDSM and psychopathology (Cross & Matheson, 2006;Powls & Davies, 2012;Weinberg, 2006;Williams, 2006), BDSM cultural norms and characteristics Ortmann & Sprott, 2015;Stiles & Clark, 2011;, BDSM normalization (Barker, 2013a; and sexual citizenship (Chatterjee, 2012;Langdridge, 2006). BDSM has been examined through diverse feminist lens, including radical feminism , postcolonial feminism , and a sex-critical approach Tsaros, 2013).…”

Section: Problem Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Self: An Exploration of Women's Perceptions of Their Feminist and Submissive Identities

Meeker¹

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This dissertation is dedicated to everyone who seeks courage within yourself to live life as you choose, while striving to do no harm to others. This dissertation is dedicated to every kinkster who's been told that you're not enough:  every submissive who's been told that you're not a twue submissive  every Dominant who's been told that you're not Dominant enough  every switch who's been told that you need to choose  every person who's been told that you are too old, too young, too thin, too big This dissertation is dedicated to every community member who creates and supports safe spaces where people learn about BDSM/Leather/kink. This dissertation is dedicated to everyone who creates and supports shared spaces where anyone is welcome regardless of sex, gender, gender expression, side of the slash, relationship status, ability, age, size, race, ethnicity, and every other way in which people are marginalized within society. This dissertation is dedicated to everyone who creates and supports sacred spaces where people with similar characteristics or interests create community. Thank you TNG and TOG; sub, Dom, and switch roundtables; venues for our Leathermen and Leather women; groups for our trans members, People of Color, critters, littles, rope, whips, and so many more. This dissertation is dedicated to the 23 women who shared your stories. Your willingness to speak about your identities, experiences, and challenges was a gift to me, as it will be for others. I admire your courage in living life as you choose (to the extent possible) and your willingness to share your knowledge in the support of others. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I first acknowledge my Major Professor, Dr. Tonette S. Rocco, for being readily accessible, including students in projects, and creating peer support groups. I also acknowledge Dr. Thomas G. Reio, Jr., whose welcoming smile opens the door to questions such as: What about curiosity? Dr. Laurie Shrage was recommended as a potential committee member on the basis of her research interests. I left our first meeting with a video, two articles, and introductions to two other researchers. I was nervous to approach Dr. Hilary Landorf because I did not know her well. However, my research was soon improved because of her thoughtful questions and feedback. All of my committee members demonstrate genuine care for students and I am blessed. I must also acknowledge my peers. Dr.

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Consent is a grey area? A comparison of understandings of consent in Fifty Shades of Grey and on the BDSM blogosphere

Cited by 86 publications

References 12 publications

Therapists’ and non‐therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study

Therapists’ and non‐therapists’ constructions of heterosex: A qualitative story completion study

Fifty shades of CHI

Negotiating Self: An Exploration of Women's Perceptions of Their Feminist and Submissive Identities

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