Citing the film’s highly stylized depiction of the controversial S&M kink, critics blasted 50 Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson this weekend for the film’s supposed “glorification” of the hotly-debated practice of tickle torture.
“Make no mistake: tickle torture is not empowerment,” said Madeleine Davies, a prominent Jezebel blogger.
“By depicting relentless tickling as an acceptable form of sexual gratification, the 50 Shades film only reinforces the repugnant patriarchal fantasy of inducing prolonged bouts giggling and tingling,” Davies continued.
Others criticized the film for failing to depict tickle torture in a safe, sensitive way.
“There are healthy, ethical ways to consensually combine sex and relentless tickling,” said Emma Green, a staff writer for The Atlantic. “The kind of foot-feathering and thigh-stroking 50 Shades puts on screen is not one of them.”
At press time, Universal Pictures announced it would be editing out the film’s “most objectionable” tickle torture scenes from all DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the film in North America.
