General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Fifty Shades of Grey depicts RAPE and has been criticized by BDSM advocates [View all]Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)from the other two. Don't ignore that fact. I do not need to read the ridiculous entire series to recognize what I am reading. (Similarly, I do not have to watch every episode of South Park to recognize it is juvenile shit.)
From those readings, it was quite clear that; 1) Christian is an abuser, and 2) Ana exhibits the accommodating behaviors to abide the abuse.
The "journals" are an important contribution to the dialog of the sexualization of domestic and sexual violence.
As for asking why women cannot recognize an abused woman? Because relationships like this are normalized. The "troubled man only needs the fixin' of a good and patient woman." A man, who of course, was destroyed by other women/an.
As for it's popularity, certainly, there were black minstrels that performed and contributed to stereotypes created by whites. This has been true of all oppressed people in the U.S. The U.S. Indian who was willing to say, "how." The Pacific Asian who was willing to don buck teeth.
These stereotypes were minimized and largely abolished in the U.S., first by members of the oppressed and then joined by allies in the oppressor class.
I am seeing a rise of "angry" feminists (what a weird way to depict those who object to emotional abuse and nonconsensual sexual violence - I prefer to refer to feminists as resolute, clear headed, adamant about promoting their own agency) with such actions as #everydaysexim.
I noticed that you did not address the criticism from the "angry" BDSM community.