It’s a phenomenon that took the world by storm. Originally a fan-fiction inspired by The Twilight Saga, Fifty Shades has exploded everywhere, into a trilogy, fashioned into clothing, onto the stage and more.
Translated into 52 languages, there’s really no corner of the world that the Fifty Shades has not touched. In fact, Universal Pictures had to shut down a porn production based on Fifty Shades called Fifty Shades of Grey: A XXX Adaptation, on grounds of copyright and trademark infringement. Here are five Fifty Shades-related phenomenon that evolved from author E.L. James’ creation.
Book Club
No, we’re not talking about the three movies starring the delicious Jamie Dornan and the delectable Dakota Johnson. We’re talking about Book Club, starring Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen as four life-long friends who made life-changing decisions after reading Fifty Shades in one of their monthly Book Club gatherings. The movie was based on a screenplay written by director Bill Holderman and actress Erin Simms, who also works as a producer on the film.
Stage Productions
There are in all three stage productions inspired by Fifty Shades of Grey. “50 Shades!” is the first of three parodies currently inspired by Fifty Shades, along with “Cuff Me: The ‘50 Shades of Grey’ Unauthorized Musical Parody” and “Spank! The ‘50 Shades’ Parody,” first premiered in August 2012 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival before its runs in Chicago and New York, where the musical recently appeared Off Broadway. “50 Shades!” takes general liberties with the source materials, making Christian Grey a more rotund billionaire instead of a hunky one to achieve a comedic effect.
Similarly, the other two productions also did not take the E.L. James’ novel series seriously, creating their own storylines, with the main characters based loosely on Christian and Anastasia.
Christian Grey Teddy Bear
“Want to leave her biting her lip with excitement? Send a gift that will dominate the rest: the limited-edition Fifty Shades of Grey Bear.” The Vermont Teddy Bear Company created a teddy bear that is dressed in a suit and holds handcuffs and a mask. Definitely not a toy for little girls. The limited edition bear was developed for the Valentine’s Day season ahead of theFifty Shades of Grey movie release in the theatres in 2015 and retailed at USD89.99.
Pop-Up Exhibition
For those obsessed with Christian Grey and his indecent obsession with S&M, Universal Pictures opened up the world of Christian and Anastasia to the public for only three days, prior to the final climax of the trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed. The exhibition is an “immersive installation will feature custom art pieces, along with costumes and props from the film.” It was certainly a Fifty Shades experience tailored for its biggest fans.
Clothing Line
E.L. James reportedly partnered with three apparel companies to release a fetish-inspired fashion collection. Fifty Shades-themed lingerie, sleepwear and clothing were among some of the apparel inspired by the movie. If you wish to actually wear its themed clothing out of the house, there’s also a line of T-shirts, hooded jumpers and knits. Do you own an article of clothing based on the Fifty Shades phenomenon?
