Examining women's perceptions of the relationship between Christian and Anastasia in the popular movie Fifty Shades of Grey is a safe and valuable way to discuss healthy and unhealthy relationship dynamics, including the warning signs of intimate partner violence. Young women expressed mixed views, describing parts of the movie relationship as exciting and romantic and other aspects as controlling, manipulative, and emotionally abusive in a new study published in Journal of Women's Health.
In the article "Young Women's Perceptions of the Relationship in Fifty Shades of Grey", Amy Bonomi, PhD, MPH and coauthors from Michigan State University, East Lansing, describe their discussions with women 18-24 years of age who met in focus groups immediately after watching the film. Although the women largely viewed the relationship as unhealthy--including Christian's use of control, manipulation, and emotional abuse--they sympathized with and rationalized Christian's behaviors.
Regarding Anastasia's role in the relationship, most of the women emphasized how difficult it is to speak up in such an unhealthy scenario. Strangely, only a small group felt that Anastasia contributed to the unhealthy relationship.
Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women.