Wearside women to burn copies of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

8:00am Friday 24th August 2012 in News

Clare Phillipson, front centre, director of women's refuge 'Wearside Women in Need' in Sunderland, has launched a campaign urging readers to bin smash-hit erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Clare Phillipson, front centre, director of women's refuge 'Wearside Women in Need' in Sunderland, has launched a campaign urging readers to bin smash-hit erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey.

abuse charity plans to burn copies of the best-selling erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, claiming it could incite violence towards women.

The trilogy, which carries a strong sadism and masochism theme, became the fastest-selling paperbacks of all time when they were released earlier this year and have been flying off the shelves since.

But Clare Phillipson, director of Wearside ’s Women in Need, called for the trilogy to be binned.

She said: “It normalises abuse, degrades women and encourages sexual violence.

“With it being in the media so much many men and women have rushed out to buy it, and many have come to me and told me how distressed they are by what’s written.

“Passages in it are about women submitting to men, obeying their orders and violence being used in a sexual and erotic manner. It’s disgusting and sends out the wrong message.”

Ms Phillipson said the books also send out a confusing message to vulnerable women about how they should behave sexually.

She said: “I’ve come across people who have been confused by it, people who have been enraged by it and others that are bewildered.

“Some women come away thinking ‘is this how I should be behaving in the bedroom’ and ‘is there something wrong with me because I’m not’ and that’s not right.

“It sends out the idea that this kind of Mr Rochester character is a heroic romantic and masculine in his domination.

“Really he controls the powerless, unworldly girl who must submit to his temper. It is not how a relationship between a man and woman should be.”

Wearside Women in Need is launching a campaign called Fifty Shades of Abuse.

The charity plans on collecting copies of the books until November 5, when it will hold a bonfire and burn them.

A spokeswoman for Random House, which publishes the series, said: “The Fifty Shades trilogy is romantic fiction and the sex scenes in the book are entirely consensual and the woman involved is a willing participant.”

The charity has invited people to drop the books off at its head office in Front Street, Concord, Washington , Wearside.

Comments(29)

toffee2 says...
9:43am Fri 24 Aug 12

What a hypocrite... She's obviously read the book to know so much about it's content.

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RobAycliffe says...
9:53am Fri 24 Aug 12

toffee2 wrote:
What a hypocrite... She's obviously read the book to know so much about it's content.
How is she a hypocrite? You'd be more annoyed if they had condemned it WITHOUT reading it.

Sounds like a bit of a PR stunt to me. There must be better targets than this over-hyped nonsense. Still, send a press release with 'Fifty Shades' in the headline and you are guaranteed some ink.

But a book burning? That doesn't really have a sparkling history, does it?

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freelance says...
10:19am Fri 24 Aug 12

Well for those who have not read it yet or even known about it this and other media coverage certainly will get more sales.
The author and publisher will be laughing all the way to the bank.
Come on Northern Echo, let's have some stories/reports of real people in the region doing real things and stuff this tittle tattle., .

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Ann says...
11:08am Fri 24 Aug 12

toffee2 wrote:
What a hypocrite... She's obviously read the book to know so much about it's content.
To be honest, with the amount of free publicity this book has had over the last 6 months, even I know what it is about without reading it.

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stevehutch says...
11:16am Fri 24 Aug 12

Let's all jump on a bandwagon. The 'events' in the books are consensual therefore, by definition, it is not abuse. If its not to your taste then fine. A lot of people do seem to be enjoying it and having fun with it. I'm sure there are worse cases of 'abuse' in British literature.

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doonhamer says...
11:48am Fri 24 Aug 12

Quote from article; "It is not how a relationship between a man and woman should be", ok then how should that universal relationship be. Do we in this country have several wives (legally) do we cover our females from head to toe, do we bind their feet, do we have legal prostitution etc, etc. No we don,t but other cultures, creeds and religions do and it's each to their own. The one thing we have in common is that we are all animals. The male has always been the dominant partner. The magnificent male lion, lazes around in the shade, while the female hunts, kills and protects her cubs. Tigers, Elephants etc likewise. Western womens drive for sexual equality at work in the last few years has made some of them think that they can change a natural structure thats been going on for millions of years. The male did not make the rules, it's nature, different cultures have adapted it to their particular society. Not wrong, perhaps not right, but fact. Just get on with it and grin and bear it girls.

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AllowedOpinions says...
11:49am Fri 24 Aug 12

Are these people right in the head! Why don't they burn all fiction books as they promote violence, abuse, murder, kidnapping etc. Just to be clear this book is 'fiction', get a grip.

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annesan says...
12:27pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Oh for goodness sake! its fiction/fantasy and the character in the book gives her CONSENT to comply to his demands - which she can get out of at any time. i think they want to focus on the real issues of women to are abused AGAINST their will, not waste time on a fiction novel.

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RobAycliffe says...
12:35pm Fri 24 Aug 12

There's an interview with this Clare Phillipson on the BBC here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk
/news/uk-19358911

Apparently they did "dilemma-ize" the book burning. Comedy gold!

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cjdo says...
12:50pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Bloody Feminist Brigade! Get a grip! Burning 50 shades of grey, good grief! Its only a bit of fun! We still say "honour and OBEY" even in 2012, are they going to petition outside of every wedding????? Crikey, I wonder if they have read Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, that would get their knickers in a twist!!!!

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st-george1 says...
3:14pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Time for these people to read Growing old disgracefully …by Virginia Ironside, a journalist, agony aunt and author who launched her one-woman show this year.
One of her perks of taking her show around the country is that she gets a glimpse of the North of England and is really impressed as we learn from her account in the Spectator magazine … she writes …
CRIKEY, it really is grim up there in the Labour heartland !
… South Shields, Sunderland and Middlesbrough where like in most towns shops are boarded up, covered with graffiti and the streets are lined with obese men, women and children lounging around with equally obese dogs, because there’s nothing to do … Evidence of the Labour Party legacy that blights many parts of this country.
Occasionally someone putters by on a mobility scooter whilst a carer might accompany a dilapidated group of super-elderly to a broken-down day centre housed in some decaying pillared Victorian building where the words Labour, Thrift, Dignity and Diligence are carved into the crumbling pediment … and it makes you want to weep …
Have any Westminster Politicians ever come up here she asked one local and do they know what’s going on, well apparently they do make visits BUT they’re invariably taken to the brightly lit art gallery, one of those white elephants that are now a sure sign of a town in distress. How people survive up there in Labour heartland, I have no idea.

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harrowgatehilldave says...
3:33pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Fifty Shades of Grey is a novel -end of story.

Why on earth all this pointless fuss? The Echo must be desperate for material to make anyhing of this story as must be these protestors. Get a life!

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RobAycliffe says...
3:50pm Fri 24 Aug 12

harrowgatehilldave wrote:
Fifty Shades of Grey is a novel -end of story.

Why on earth all this pointless fuss? The Echo must be desperate for material to make anyhing of this story as must be these protestors. Get a life!
In fairness to the Echo, it's all over the national press too. Example:
http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/culture/books
/booknews/9495728/50
-Shades-of-Grey-sex-
scenes-are-like-crim
es-of-Fred-West-says
-womens-refuge-boss.
html

Report this post »

RobAycliffe says...
3:59pm Fri 24 Aug 12

cjdo wrote:
Bloody Feminist Brigade! Get a grip! Burning 50 shades of grey, good grief! Its only a bit of fun! We still say "honour and OBEY" even in 2012, are they going to petition outside of every wedding????? Crikey, I wonder if they have read Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, that would get their knickers in a twist!!!!
Fahrenheit 451 might be more appropriate.

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calumannabel says...
5:20pm Fri 24 Aug 12

Forty Shades of Grey - could be next door's washing line.

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Mel666 says...
5:50pm Fri 24 Aug 12

This book is a work of fiction and all those who are shouting about it portraying the wrong impressions about what a relationship should be should also consider the safe sex promoted in the book. But as i said it is a work of fiction and do all those people going on about it degrading women and promoting violence really think the worlds population is so stupid that we would think that what happens in these books is how things are supposed to be. For the record i read all three books in four days and enjoyed the underlying love story between Mr Grey and Ana.

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D. Hop says...
7:49pm Fri 24 Aug 12

They must of missed "American Psycho"!!!

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drainman says...
9:22am Sat 25 Aug 12

It's a book, if it's not your thing don't read it. It's simple really. Instead of buying and burning it give your money a charity and do something worthy instead. Claire Phillipson please get a life and stop your attention grabbing nonsense.

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oliviaden6 says...
10:10am Sat 25 Aug 12

Frustrated old biddies, how do they know what the content consists of, one of them bought it i suppose and passed it round? Well they should not spoil other peoples enjoyment of reading it for themselves, then make a statement or just get on with life.
I have read the best part of the book and i do not see anything untoward in the book, in fact i feel it is comical in parts. Good Luck to the Author PEOPLE ENJOY YOUR READ?

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oliviaden6 says...
10:10am Sat 25 Aug 12

Frustrated old biddies, how do they know what the content consists of, one of them bought it i suppose and passed it round? Well they should not spoil other peoples enjoyment of reading it for themselves, then make a statement or just get on with life.
I have read the best part of the book and i do not see anything untoward in the book, in fact i feel it is comical in parts. Good Luck to the Author PEOPLE ENJOY YOUR READ?

Report this post »

Jonn says...
11:33am Sat 25 Aug 12

If they are that offended by fictional books containing violence, degredation of women etc then they may as well burn The Bible too while they're at it.

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Liamsm says...
12:05pm Sat 25 Aug 12

My god what a happy bunch!! Get a life please.

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BigDaveSB says...
1:21pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Book burning seems counter productive. Here's my idea of what should happen:

People donate the cost of the book instead. In the long run, the ashes of a burnt book won't help women in need, but I'm sure some good can come from donations.

I've set up a JustGiving page for refuge, you can donate there:
http://justgiving.co
m/fiftyshadesofchari
ty

Or, using JustTextGiving text "BURN50 £1" to 70070.

Here's my longer thoughts on it all at my blog
http://furtherthough
tsfortheday.blogspot
.com/2012/08/fifty-s
hades-of-charity.htm
l

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Snubbles says...
4:52pm Sat 25 Aug 12

Jonn wrote:
If they are that offended by fictional books containing violence, degredation of women etc then they may as well burn The Bible too while they're at it.
Well said!

OMG! What a load of c***
What the woman in these books does, she does because she wants too, she's not forced into anything at all. Abuse is a completely different thing!

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Liamsm says...
7:38pm Mon 27 Aug 12

I tell u what is abuse....the woman in the photo who looks like Keith from The Prodigy..........twi
sted fire starter that one!

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n12345 says...
1:45pm Wed 29 Aug 12

I have read it and loved it, I think these women are missing the point of why so many woman can't get enough of this book, for me and other women I have discussed it is nothing to do with it 'glamourising' dominance and abuse, it is such a hit because it has taken away the stigma that can sometimes be attached to experimenting in the bedroom! It has given women the confidence to say I want to try this without feeling embarrassed!
I can see why they have jumped on the bandwagon about 'inciting violence', however these days practically everywhere we turn there are things that could be seen to do this (eastenders and hollyoaks recent murders, fillms and video games with guns killing bombing, newspapers filled with rapes and murders).
Safe sex and a loving and consensual relationship is promoted throughout the book.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I think this is the wrong way to protest, buying a book to burn is just adding to the huge numbers that it is selling, keeping it at the top of the best sellers for even longer and giving it even more free advertising!

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Idontknowaboutyoubut says...
5:38pm Wed 29 Aug 12

Burning books?..OMG!!!!
Who the hell do these"Sisters of Vengeance" think they are?
Shades of repression and dictatorship come to mind...except,they have neither the authority,or the concensus to carry out this OFFENSIVE act.
Literature should be treated with respect,even if you dont agree with it,you do not have the right to deny others the right to choose-read or not read?

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BrianW22 says...
9:50am Thu 30 Aug 12

I wonder, was the plan to buy the books before burning them or steal them? If they pay for them then what they do with them would still 'feed the monster' as well as put themselves out of pocket for nothing more than a PR stunt.

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Quakerz says...
3:45pm Thu 30 Aug 12

RobAycliffe wrote:
toffee2 wrote:
What a hypocrite... She's obviously read the book to know so much about it's content.
How is she a hypocrite? You'd be more annoyed if they had condemned it WITHOUT reading it.

Sounds like a bit of a PR stunt to me. There must be better targets than this over-hyped nonsense. Still, send a press release with 'Fifty Shades' in the headline and you are guaranteed some ink.

But a book burning? That doesn't really have a sparkling history, does it?
As long as I can come along and chuck some bibles and korans on the fire, it's fine by me.

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