The protest against the 50 Shades of Grey movie continues, and is gaining international support just days before the release date this weekend.
The hashtag #50DollarsNot50Shades is being used globally by supporters who propose donating 50 dollars to local women abuse centres rather than towards a night at the movies.
Megan Walker is the Executive Director at the London Abused Women’s Centre and says they are against the movie because it promotes an abusive relationship where the main character, Christian Grey exercises a variety of tactics to maintain control over the woman, Anastasia Steele.
“We live in this ‘pornified’ culture now where the normalization and glamorization of sexual violence is so prevalent. So we’re asking people to think about that and to think about where else to put their funds to make a difference in the lives of women and children”
Walker says a 50 dollar donation would cover the cost of a night at a movies including gas, babysitters, tickets, and snacks.
“Why is it that a movie that really normalizes men’s violence against women is considered to be entertaining” says Walker who believes the money could go towards a better cause. “All of the funds raised goes towards service delivery: direct service to women who require advocacy support and counselling.”
The Centre has currently received 10 donations of varying amounts from the #50DollarsNot50Shades campaign and says that every dollar makes a difference.
“Whatever you can donate instead of seeing that movie will definitely have an impact on delivery of service.”
Last year, they served 3,300 women and responded to 500 phone calls, and is a service they look to further improve with donations.
50 Shades of Grey Poster
