Page 62 - AVN June 2012

| By Sherri L. Shaulis
The
Fifty Shades Phenomenon
A trilogy of trashy novels has the country talking and
pleasure product companies reaping the benefits
Mommy porn. Good old-fashioned trashy romance. Call it what
you will, but the three novels in the Fifty Shades trilogy have
people’s tongues wagging and their interest piqued.
The New York Times best-selling erotic fiction paperbacks and
e-books by E.L. James have gained nationwide attention thanks to the
steamy BDSM scenes between main characters Anastasia Steele and
Christian Grey. The book’s erotic nature and perceived demographic of
its fan base as being composed largely of married women over 30 led to
the book being dubbed “mommy porn” by some news agencies.
Though the first book, Fifty Shades of Grey, was released in May
2011, it wasn’t until after the sequels were published (Fifty Shades
Darker in September 2011 and Fifty Shades Freed in January 2012) that
the trilogy took off and sparked everyone’s interest in BDSM and the
toys mentioned in the books.
Staff members at The Pleasure Chest in Los Angeles a few months
ago reported noticing a spike in sales for erotic books and kinky
products. The increase coincided with the exploding popularity of the
sadomasochistic trilogy.
Shortly after this spike, Pleasure Chest Director of Creative
Development Kristen Tribby began fielding a flurry of inquiries from
the media. In short order, Tribby spoke to Access Hollywood, was con-
sulted by the Los Angeles Times and appeared on a Nightline news seg-
ment, about the rise of mommy porn.
“When Sex and the City introduced the world to the rabbit
vibrator in 1998, it was shot in our store. It helped bring the idea of
sex toys into the mainstream. Today, we’re experiencing the first wave
of a new sexual revolution in American bedrooms. Kink and erotica
are going mainstream and moms are the ones driving this
movement,” Tribby said.
Store personnel were recommending everything from rope,
handcuffs and whips to fans of the book, and Fun Factory Smartballs
to fans looking for the infamous “silver balls” mentioned in the stories.
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