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| hlntv.com |
On Monday, June 29th, twitter was busy with one
unique hashtag: #AskELJames.
EL James, the successful (yet controversial) author of the
Fifty Shades of Grey series had decided to host a twitter chat through Twitter’s
UK headquarters, and it quickly spiraled out of control.
While some people commend James on her series that focuses
on the romantic relationship between main characters Anastasia
Steele and Christian Grey, others see major problems with the relationship.
Although the book is meant to explore BDSM culture, it
also features behaviors by Grey that mirror that of an emotionally and physically
abusive partner, which has left men and women alike with a bad taste in their
mouths.
These adverse reactions to the series were apparent way
before the chat was hosted, so it was no surprise when questions began pouring
into James through the social media site that called out the major problems in
her novels and her profiting off of a romanticized view of abusive
relationships.
One tweet focused on these problems, stating: “Do you
ever feel guilty that you made so much money from romanticizing sexual abuse
and selling it as "erotica romance"? #AskELJames”
Another tweet took a jab at one specific instance in the
book that pointed out an abusive tendency of Grey’s character: “#AskELJames I
need advice on making a BIG romantic gesture. Should I put a GPS tracker in her
phone and make threats if she tries to leave?”
Other people targeted James’ writing style, and even
compared her to Stephanie Meyer, who wrote the Twilight series.
In the end, it is hard to imagine how any PR professional would
have thought this twitter chat was a good idea.
With so much controversy swirling around James and her
novels (she just published another written from Grey’s perspective), it was
clear that there would be a lot of negativity aimed towards the writer.
However, this isn’t the first time that a controversial
person has hosted a twitter chat and failed miserably. Singer Robin Thicke
participated in a similar chat last year and was bombarded with jabs at his
talent, misogynistic lyrics, and personal life.
What is your opinion on twitter chats with controversial
stars? Do you think there is a method to their madness?
Let us know in the comments!
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