ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with how contemporary understandings of pornography and pornification limit the possibility and legitimacy of feminist critique. It demonstrates that, for the UK press, Fifty Shades both functions as porn and as a way into porn and other forms of sexual consumption. The chapter analyses the usage of the term in the UK press to consider both what it reveals and conceals – but first a short introduction to Fifty Shades is necessary. After a brief discussion of how the terms 'pornography' and 'pornification' have been defined and operationalised, the chapter works through the implications of the pornification discourse with reference to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon. After a brief introduction to Fifty Shades, the chapter discusses the categorisation of the novels as 'mummy porn' and ask what is at stake in the widespread usage of this term.
