Not many ladies who read the trilogy would probably agree that 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is unhealthy for them.
A new study revealed that women who read the series are most likely to have multiple sex partners and engage in binge drinking. Young women are believed to be likely in abusive relationships, too, according to a study by a group of researchers at the Michigan State University.
The findings of the study are a bit conclusive but not many women would affirm them or admit they are true. The researchers saw a correlation between young women who read the series and cases of eating disorders, having different partners, binge drinking, and being in verbally abusive relationships.
The researchers studied responses of 650 female students in Michigan, ages 18 to 24. A questionnaire was sent to each one of them asking about the erotic trilogy by British author E. L. James.
Here are some interesting findings of the survey:
- 34 percent were likely to have partners who have abused them verbally
- 34 percent likely to have partners with stalking tendencies
- 65 percent were likely to binge on alcohol drinking
- 63 percent were likely to have multiple sex partners, five or more
- 75 percent have used diet aids
The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy has been a global phenomenon. What started as a fan literature for Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series turned out to be a success especially among the young women not just in Europe and America but also all over the world.
What's with Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele that these young women are so into the series? Passionate sex. Lust. Violence. All these and more seemed to have been "normalized" in the books. Perhaps the women who enjoyed the book are those who are in the same kind of abusive relationships. Others could be in a relationship with sadists or masochists like the main male character Christian Grey or probably want partners like him in a weird way.
"If women experienced adverse health behaviors such as disordered eating first, reading 'Fifty Shades' might reaffirm those experiences and potentially aggravate related trauma," said the survey's lead investigator Amy Bonomi.
"Likewise, if they read 'Fifty Shades' before experiencing the health behaviors seen in our study, it's possible the books influenced the onset of these behaviors," Ms. Bonomi further said.
The results of the study are currently published in the Journal of Women's Health. The team of researchers from Michigan was the first to study the correlation between reading fiction about violence against women and possible health risks.
