REGINA – The Fifty Shades of Grey craze is expected to stimulate box office totals this weekend, and it has already impacted retail sales.
“It’s the ‘Restrain Me’ rope,” said Lisa Phillipson, operations manager at Industrial Luv, holding up a twin pack of bondage ropes, which are part of the movie and book franchise’s line.
The red and black ropes were some of the remaining few official products in stock at the sex toy store on Friday.
Sales of orgasm balls, which are used by the main female character in the book the movie is based on, have increased by 400 per cent since the book was published a several years ago.
“They’re usually gold-plated, sometimes silver-plated,” said Phillipson. “We couldn’t keep them in stock. They actually sold out nationwide.”
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The books and movie have put BDSM play in the spotlight, according to experts.
“People are more comfortable with it. Like, they hear it in movies, they see it in movies, they talk about it more. They know other people do it,” said Alexis Koch, a consultant with Independent Passion Parties.
She said that BDSM-themed parties have surged in popularity thanks to the franchise, though public skepticism is still alive.
“Is ‘taboo’ the right word? It’s more dark and scary, and some might not think that it’s actually consensual,” said Krystin Nordal, another consultant for the company.
“The hallmark of BDSM play, the thing that makes it different from assault or rape or other terrible things, is that it’s consensual,” said Andrea Zanin, a BDSM teacher.
She said BDSM play is a natural human activity, and that the real controversy with the book lies with the eponymous character’s coercive behaviour.
“It’s mapped very clearly onto very classic abuse dynamics. There’s not really anything very ambiguous about this,” said Zanin.
What may be ambiguous is how much enjoyment customers are having with the products Phillipson sells.
She said that while some do complain about products, customers feeling satisfied with their purchases usually don’t say so.
“Every so often you’ll get a very vocal person who’ll be more than willing to tell you the ins-and-outs of their ins-and-outs,” she said with a laugh.
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