E.L. James did a Twitter Q&A on Monday using the hashtag #AskELJames. The aim was to promote her latest book Grey, which tells the story of 50 shades of Grey from Christian’s perspective. However, Twitter being well, Twitter, meant that the hashtag was not simply used by fans. Instead, E L James was faced with a range of critiques. What was her publicist thinking?
Some commented on her writing ability
#AskELJames are you aware that eyebrows can’t actually do this pic.twitter.com/5Fc6PI67ug
— lauren (@lburgundy) June 29, 2024
#AskELJames What went through your head when you wrote the one sentence that reinvented the English language? pic.twitter.com/n3LMxyd1Qk
— Lee-Michael Conway (@LeeMConway) June 29, 2024
Others pointed out flaws in the plot
How on earth did Ana manage to graduate from university in the 21st century without an email address or a laptop? #AskELJames
— Marianne Hassle (@tinyorc) June 29, 2024
Some Tweets were simply entertaining
Watching the #AskELJames hashtag like… pic.twitter.com/UoVRJBASDu
— Michael Scally (@FizzVsTheWorld) June 29, 2024
And many fandoms got involved
#AskELJames you should take notes from someone that actually knows how to write a good erotic novel pic.twitter.com/FF9mcQuURH
— Sasuke Uchiha (サスケ) (@ken_zeppelin) June 29, 2024
You know nothing, EL James. #AskELJames pic.twitter.com/5y1qK1dfTX
— Jon Snow (@LordSnow) June 29, 2024
However, most focused on the relationship between Christian and Ana, which is hardly surprising considering we’re talking about 5o Shades of Grey. The conversation soon turned to the abusive nature of their relationship.
#AskELJames why she couldn’t manage to write a lady character who wasn’t a 2 dimensional version of a door mat.
— Lyndsay Kirkham (@Lyndsay_Kirkham) June 30, 2024
#AskELJames what do you hate more?a) good literatureb) consentc) womend) healthy relationshipse) all of the above
— captain emmarica (@PRESERUMPINING) June 29, 2024
#AskELJames why do you think it’s acceptable to glorify mental and physical abuse as a setting for a so-called romance novel?
— Emma Pittwood (@CaptainEmmaEtc) June 29, 2024
Is this a true love story? #AskELJames pic.twitter.com/3tkxKP1nKW
— Tyrion Lannister (@GoT_Tyrion) June 29, 2024
Many were angry about the poor representation of BDSM within the books
#AskELJames Why did you decide to research helicopters while not researching BDSM at all?
— Esther (@estherannaa) June 29, 2024
And in response to E L James’ denial of there being any form of abuse within the 5o Shades Trilogy, she was met with a huge backlash
#AskELJames what makes you think you know better than BDSM practitioners, abuse survivors and professionals about what abuse is?
— Alexis (@kaydeelex) July 1, 2024
How does it feel to be a woman promoting abuse? Your book could have ended as a learning opportunity for young girls. #fail #AskELJames
— Chrissy Marie (@chrissyalways) July 1, 2024
#askeljames Do you ever wonder how powerful your books could have been if you’d had Ana break free of the abuse in the end?
— Paul Anthony Shortt (@PAShortt) June 29, 2024
#AskELJames what’s it like telling millions of women it’s okay to be in an abusive relationship as long as he’s rich.Asking for a friend.
— prince matthias (@padfcct) June 29, 2024
In fact, things got pretty awkward
EL James entering the #AskELJames hashtag. pic.twitter.com/hugpOU0MiH
— Kayleigh Anne (@Ceilidhann) June 29, 2024
Some insisted that the twitter reaction was the result of bullying or sexism
#AskELJames her prose is terrible. BUT why are we so mad at his woman? we all bought the books- oh I get it, she’s a woman. My mistake.
— Iliza Shlesinger (@iliza) June 29, 2024
Yet in reality, most of the tweets were justifiable given the topic
#AskELJames Do all these negative tweets sent to you seem abusive to you? I think it’s romantic enough to be turned into a novel!
— Stephan Krosecz (@Krosecz) June 29, 2024
i see people complaining about the #AskELJames tweets being “rude” or “hating”, but all i see are truth bombs and a sea of truth pudding.
— Rebekah Weatherspoon (@rebekahwsm) June 29, 2024
Personally, I think the 50 Shades is Abuse campaign says it best
We’re getting lots of fans telling us “EL James has feelings, too.” Of course she does. But so do the survivors her books have triggered.1/2
— 50 Shades is abuse (@50shadesabuse) June 30, 2024
We in NO WAY advocate sending abuse to EL James,but asking valid questions is important. And she is responding by blocking those people. 2/2
— 50 Shades is abuse (@50shadesabuse) June 30, 2024
If E L James really believes her books have no form of abuse in at all, then why did she appear to block so many abuse survivors?
#AskELJames Seriously, why did you ignore then block me when I told you I was a survivor & suggested you maybe donate to an abuse charity?
— Emma Tofi (@EmmaTofi) June 29, 2024
A writer has to learn to take criticisms and grow from them. Whether she intentionally wrote about abuse or not is another matter, but if she had simply accepted the reality of what she has written, and how it can be perceived, I doubt she would have got a reaction of this scale. Although it wouldn’t hurt to take a few writing courses and learn about the sexual community she supposedly represents either.
What do you think of the 50 Shades of Grey books? Do they describe an abusive relationship or a romantic one? Was the Twitter reaction bullying, or simply to be expected? Were you part of the hashtag? What was your opinion of it?
We’d love to hear from you in the comments below or tweet us at @EatMoreCakeUK
