I once said I’d never post another thing about Fifty Shades of Grey ever again, but I cannot not post about this.
While trying to find my little girl the exact kind of oatmeal she wanted (only had to go to three stores…), I stumbled upon this endcap at our local Target. Right there at the end of the shaving aisle, a veritable “My First BDSM Scene” kit. Blindfolds (“No peeking!”) and vibrating cockrings along with (not shown) teeny tiny bottles of lube and something called a “massage candle” all sold as licensed “Fifty Shades” merchandise.
Look, I get that Fifty Shades isn’t high literature or even a faithful depiction of a BDSM dynamic, but my opinion of it hasn’t changed. Fucking Target is selling kinky shit on an endcap. Not just the book. Actual gear. Yeah, I know it’s just about the tamest things you can imagine (and that Durex has been selling vibrating cockrings there for a long time), but this is kinda like seeing muggles perusing a selection of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes merchandise in the toy department.
Anything that helps people do something other than vanilla missionary stuff in bed has to be a good thing, right? I mean, Jack on Will and Grace was hardly a realistic portrayal of a gay man, but he begat Cameron and Mitchell on Modern Family. And they, in turn, have probably helped buffer America’s acceptance of gay marriage and families. Anastasia and Christian may be horrible representatives (I still haven’t read it, probably never will, and won’t make seeing the movie a priority), but if they’re the price to pay to get D/s-type relationships and dynamics in the mainstream, then so be it. Let the real people take it from here.
Wow! I’m a little surprised to see that being sold on an end cap at Target. Pure Romance sells FSOG licensed products in their catalogs & at demo parties, but those are adult-only parties. My Walmart sells the books but they are sealed in plastic. I have read them, basically ’cause I enjoy erotic literature, but I was in the lifestyle at least 15 years before that. My cousin is a manager at a Target near Orlando, FL. I’m gonna ask her if they have this display, too, as well as if they’ve had any comments/complaints about it. Thanks for sharing your discovery! lol
I’d be curious to know that, too.
I might have to go see if we have that here at our Target. I don’t usually shop there. I have to say this is a pretty “alternate lifestyle friendly” area, so we probably. 🙂
LOL! I will def have to check if they carry this display at my inner city Targhetto.
’50 Shades’ caused a minor neighborhood tempest when a dog-eared copy showed up in my Little Free Library. (Most of its contents trend toward children’s/young adult literature). I removed it, tried reading it, couldn’t force myself past a few abysmally written pages.