Media Release: Global Community Rejects Normalised Violence in Movie Fifty Shades Darker

#FiftyShadesisAbuse and #50DollarsNot50Shades campaigns calling for support of women’s agencies

For Immediate Release  

Collective Shout, Australia; The London Abused Women’s Centre, Canada; Culture Reframed, USA; and The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), USA, are collaborating for the second time to reject the normalisation of violence and abuse against women portrayed in the franchise Fifty Shades of Grey, the most recent installment of which is the movie Fifty Shades Darker. Dozens of groups from around the world are speaking out against the Fifty Shades trilogy ahead of the release of Fifty Shades Darker in early February, 2017. 

London Abused Women’s Centre, Collective Shout, Culture Reframed, and The National Center on Sexual Exploitation issued a joint statement: 

“Girls around the world are born into a pornified culture where consent is rendered irrelevant. In real life, men use the same tactics as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades trilogy to gain and maintain power and control over the women in their lives. This includes isolation, threats, physical and sexual assault. This is not entertainment. This is not sexy. This results in serious harm to women and in the worst case scenario, murder.” 

In 2015 when the first movie of this series came out, the campaign went viral. Once again, the partnering organisations urge the public to support survivors of men’s violence and help educate the public on the realities of Fifty Shades relationships.” 

The campaign Facebook page, www.facebook.com/50dollarsnotfiftyshades highlights how the Fifty Shades franchise (based on the book series by E.L. James), perpetuates the normalisation of sexual and domestic violence. The campaign page also provides various actions that the public can take, including social media memes and donating 50 dollars—or any amount—to women’s agencies such as shelters or counselling centres and using the hashtag #50DollarsNot50Shades to promote the giving campaign. 

To learn more, sign the petition and join the #50DollarsNot50Shades campaign, please visit: www.facebook.com/50dollarsnotfiftyshades