‘Fifty Shades of Abuse’: Feminists Protest At Oslo Opening Of Bondage Film

As Fifty Shades of Grey continues opening around the world, controversy of all types reigns. Norwegian feminist groups were out in force in the streets protesting at the first public showing of the movie in Oslo on Friday, saying the film celebrates the abuse of women.

The timing for the opening of the film was probably what upset the women’s group Ottar the most, with the public showing timed to coincide with the romance of Valentine’s Day. According to them, it is hardly romance when the plot of the movie is about a woman submitting to the whims of a violent, sadistic man.

So there is a Norwegian Women’s group called Ottar whon wants to protest 50 shades, because it promotes violence against women.

— Jan Helge Lillevik (@JanHLillevi) February 13, 2015

In an article published in the Norwegian language Aftenposten newspaper this week, Sara Mauland, one of Ottar’s members, attacked the film and its theme.

“The film is not romantic, but instead romanticizes violence and submission.”

She described the film as “a drama about what happens when a young, inexperienced woman meets a power-hungry and manipulative psychopath.”

“The message is that true love can only manifest itself when women submit themselves to men. We believe that true love should be able to manifest itself among equal partners.”

The group “Stopp Pornokulturen” (stop porno culture) and another feminist group, Kvinnefronten, as well as the Norwegian Association for Women’s Rights also protested the movie alongside Ottar, as did several members of the Oslo Crisis Center, who help women facing violence.

The Local says the protest was probably unnecessary, as it seems Fifty Shades of Grey is not going down well in Norway generally, with Norwegian film reviewers panning the production.

A review by the Norwegian language VG Newspaper called the movie “an advanced sh**ty film.” Others called the movie “soft core for the ladies” and yet another reviewer said the film “contains some of the most idiotic, romantic intricacies he’s ever seen in today’s pop culture.”

The Inquisitr reported on the film recently, possibly taking a different stance to that of Ottar, stating that according to research from the University of Waterloo. the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise had inspired women to consume porn in greater volume and variety.

[Image: Screengrab from YouTube trailer]