I’ve avoided talking about the popular book 50 Shades of Grey. Because I’m a Passion Parties consultant, it seems too obvious that I blog about the book. Still everywhere I go, from blogging conferences to my Passion Parties to Facebook status updates to book expos. At the end of Evo Conference on the shuttle ride back to the airport, 50 Shades of Grey came up as we talked books. That’s when I realized I had something to say about the book.
To be honest, I have not read 50 Shades of Grey , except for a couple of pages. I wasn’t impressed by the writing. I couldn’t even figure out where the sex scenes when I flipped through the books. But I’m not writing a review of the book here.
As someone who’s been peddling sexual enhancement products at home parties for almost 11 years, I feel it’s safe to say that I have a good idea on how the general female population views sex and sexual pleasure. I’m also sad to say it hasn’t changed much in the past 11 years.
Many of us don’t feel comfortable talking about sex. Not even with our girlfriends. Especially not with our partners. From my experience, it’s because of age or socioeconomic status. It’s not even because of their ethnic background or culture. The taboo about sex is cross-cultural. Many cultures don’t encourage girls and women to talk about their bodies or sex.
50 Shades of Grey is doing the same thing for women’s sexual pleasure that I’ve been doing with my Passion Parties, albeit on a much grander scale. The book has encouraged women to talk about sex, even “kinky” sex in the BDSM relationship it depicts. My friends are even discussing the book on Facebook, a very public space. Talking about sex with their girlfriends means that women will learn that their sexual needs, wants, and obstacles are normal. Hopefully, they’ll tell a friend who has experienced the same and can share advice and tips.
Women come to me for advice during my parties (and afterwards too). They share intimate details about their relationships and sex lives when they come in the private ordering room. I’m not a doctor, but I share my knowledge and experiences of past clients. However, I can only help a small number of women in my lifetime.
While I choose not to read 50 Shades of Grey (I’m behind reading my towering stacks of books), all the conversations it has created can only make women (and their partners) happier in the bedroom. Whether they’re a submissive or a dominant, both I and50 Shades of Grey are empowering women to take charge of their sexual pleasure.
That’s not such a bad thing, is it?
Have you read 50 Shades of Grey? Has it opened up conversations about sex among your circle of friends?
Photo by Verónica Bautista via Creative Commons. Affiliate links are included in this post. In case you haven’t read 50 Shades of Grey yet.