Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels were by far the bestselling books of the 2010s, kickstarting an erotica and kink boom. In the UK alone, Fifty Shades of Grey sold 4.7m print copies, Fifty Shades Darker sold 3.3m and Fifty Shades Freed sold 3.1m. But alongside the huge number of copies sold, was there a lasting cultural influence? Anecdotally, women on mum forums talked about their incumbent “Fifty Shades baby”, while retailers cashed in on knockoff “Generation Grey” onesies. “Very good anal beads.”The sex educator Evie Fehilly had experienced abusive sex; when Fifty Shades became a hit, she read all three.

Source: The Guardian January 15, 2020 06:01 UTC