rthstewart: (Default)
rthstewart ([personal profile] rthstewart) wrote2012-08-19 10:31 am

The obligatory 50 Shades Post

I've been on holiday the last two weeks and the time has included long hours with some other suburban mothers in my vicinity, women who are predominately not now working outside the home as they have children and heavy activity schedules to juggle and their spouses work very long, hard hours.  Something very like the following the occurred when it was revealed that they had all read 50 Shades of Grey in their book club or while standing in the kids' section of Barnes and Noble while their offspring played on the Thomas the Tank Engine train table.

"What I don't understand is how Christian Grey had all that time!" Jane says as she slathers 50 SPF sunblock on her Lands End-clad tankini body.  "Honey!  No throwing sand!  Do you need Monkey Butt for the chafing?" she shouts at her children.

"It's ridiculous," Mary agrees.  "Hey, kids, stop eating all the Trader Joes Pirate Booty popcorn; we're  having lunch soon.  And, dude, you need to finish another 50 pages of your summer assigned reading or no XBox when we get  home!"  (The last is directed to her tween.)  Mary pauses to adjust the Sunbrella.  "If Christian Grey was such a self-made, young billionaire businessman, there is no way he'd have the time or energy for all those assignations.  'Sure, I'll meet you at 4 PM for sexy times!'"

All the women snort and roll their eyes, recalling all the missed soccer practices, parent-teacher conferences, and playdate pickups.  

"It's totally unrealistic."

"She's not seeing him until 10 PM and he's exhausted and checking his iPhone all night." 

[identity profile] intrikate88.livejournal.com 2012-08-19 04:41 pm (UTC)(link)


Honestly the best assessment of that POS yet. I mean, seriously, more accurate porn of that situation would be the main character getting herself off in the laptop glow of her CEO boyfriend answering email all night and not even noticing she's taken care of her needs and gone to sleep without him.
ext_418583: (Default)

[identity profile] rthstewart.livejournal.com 2012-08-20 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
It's also a pretty accurate picture of what life is like in my neck of the woods. A lot of women take the kids and disappear all summer.
Love the gif.
ext_793005: (Default)

[identity profile] harmony-lover.livejournal.com 2012-08-19 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Hilarious! So true, though.
ext_418583: (Default)

[identity profile] rthstewart.livejournal.com 2012-08-20 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
She's alive! And VERY true.
ext_793005: (Default)

[identity profile] harmony-lover.livejournal.com 2012-08-20 03:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I am alive, though the world of fandom would probably beg to differ, lately...
ext_33795: (Default)

[identity profile] katharhino.livejournal.com 2012-08-19 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
*snort* That's a new angle on it.
ext_418583: (Default)

[identity profile] rthstewart.livejournal.com 2012-08-20 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
And so very accurate. As I just told Intrikate, a lot of women around here just take the kids and disappear for the summer. Work is hell on family life.

[identity profile] min023.livejournal.com 2012-08-21 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
Oh good lord. That's so true and completely hysterical. I confess I've only just had the first book from the library, and it's going back unfinished. intrikate really nailed it with that POS categorization. Hey guys, why don't you all go get your fics published - they're a darn sight better than 50 Shades (yeah, joking, but still...)
ext_418583: (Default)

[identity profile] rthstewart.livejournal.com 2012-08-21 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
she's alive!!! And seriously, the most interesting part of 50 Shades is the publishing aspect of it -- how she essentially monetized fan fiction. That's pretty remarkable.

[identity profile] min023.livejournal.com 2012-08-22 08:41 am (UTC)(link)
Yup, still living, and work even lets me out to play from time to time. I'm voting for the abolition of left field though, since everything seems to coming from over there at the moment.

Yes, I'd agree with that - she's managed to monetize it with everything including movie deals (reportedly), but it appears to have gotten a lot of her fandom offside in the process. With the success of the books (hysteria? curiosity?), I don't suppose she has to care about that aspect, and I guess you could say she's been very entrepreneurial/ innovative, but I personally prefer the more collegiate nature of fandom. IDK

[identity profile] animus-wyrmis.livejournal.com 2012-08-25 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
THIS CONFUSES ME ALSO. Okay, so I only read the summary on a blog one time, but STILL, I was like, wait, even I work too much for this, and I am not a super busy and successful CEO type! WHAT THE HELL, AUTHOR.

Also, I feel like a brilliant successful CEO type shouldn't fall for a super boring college student. I MEAN REALLY.