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SPECIAL REPORT: 50 Shades Concerns

Updated: Wednesday, February 20 2013, 11:54 AM EST
COLUMBUS -- The massive international best-selling book 50 Shades of Gray sold more than 65 million copies worldwide.  The erotic romance novel also put the idea of submissive bedroom behavior at the forefront of literary discussions.  Some believe the steamy, love scenes send a message that could leave some women as the victims of violence.

The story details a young, college graduate who falls in love and loses her virginity to a 27 year old business entrepreneur who introduces her to BDSM: bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism.   However critics worry BDSM could lead to domestic abuse.  With so many people now trying BDSM, sexologist Melissa Jones now does workshops on the topic, “You have to have safe words so that when things get too rough you can say for example, red or Diet Coke, whatever it might be, something totally random so your partner knows OK, stop.”

Mariam Elizondo, a rape crisis counselor, says 50 Shades of Gray sends the wrong message,  “they’re associating violence with desire and violence with passion and violence with sexiness.”

Elizondo worries that men will get the idea that women want pain, even when they don’t. Elizondo says. “This piece of literature has globalized this idea that all women, 40 and above really want to be dominated and taken control of and that’s now the message we need to be sending out globally.”

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Reporter: Terri Sullivan
Web Producer: Kellie HannaSPECIAL REPORT: 50 Shades Concerns