Published On:Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Posted by abg man
Oops, my mum’s reading porn!
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Oops, my mum’s reading porn!
Did you think 'mommy porn' was only for the mommies in New York? Turns out, your mum could be reading 50 Shades Of Grey, and loving it too!
Remember the time mommy confiscated your bodice-ripper novel or discovered your porn stash? What could be more mortifying than that, you may have wondered at the time. It seems the universe has answered your question: Discovering that your mom's reading EL James' S&M and more-than-semi-porn series, 50 Shades Of Grey.
Mommy Porn, the ingenuous term coined by the New York Times, is not just oxymoronic, but nightmarish in its connotations for children of the aforementioned mommies. However, the sales of the novel rocketed abroad thanks to that very demographic since it was immediately credited as the antidote for passionless marriages.
But that's in New York, we thought. Our saas-bahu TV show-watching moms would never do that, we thought. Except that India's middle-aged women are way more sexually liberated than they might appear to the naked eye.
"It's all bought by middle-aged women," said a Bahri Sons rep, when asked what percentage of the sales could be attributed to moms. The book is one of the best selling ones at the Khan Market bookstore. But who else other than middle-aged women buys them? "Middle-aged men who buy it for their middle-aged spouses. This book isn't really targeted at teens," added the rep.
"Yes, one could safely say that the majority of buyers of 50 Shades Of Grey are in their mid-30s to mid-50s," reaffirmed a Full Circle bookstore spokesperson, adding that the book has been in and out of print several times over since it's been available here in India.
Recently, a dramatized book reading of the series was staged at the Akshara Theatre. Not only were playwrights who adapted the novel for stage - Gopal Sharman and Jalabala Vaidya - well past their 60s, the audience was also predominantly middle-aged or grey-haired women.
When I saw mom reading it, I wanted to die
Pranav Gupta*, 24, a business professional, says uncomfortably, "Yup, my mom's reading 50 Shades." When asked how he feels about it, he said, "I am not sure, I mean, good for her, I guess...." before his voice trails off in embarrassment.
Kavita Khurrana*, 20, a media consultant, tells us, "When I saw the book on my mother's dressing table, it was a lot like getting the bees-and-birds talk again. Would saying that I wanted to gouge my eyes out be an overreaction? Because that is what I wanted to do. It is really not the kind of thing one can unsee. She even went on to tell me she liked the book. I wanted to die."
What's the big deal?
But for Ayushi Chopra, a DU student, her mom reading 50 Shades isn't a big deal at all. "We share our stash of Danielle Steels and Judith Krantzs in either case. I'm glad mom is modern enough to be reading these books rather than being scandalised by them."
"I picked up the book because it was on the bestseller list and everyone was talking about it, and well, I quite liked it. What's the big deal in us oldies reading some naughty novels? It's just some harmless fun," says 57-year-old housewife Anita Sharma. Ditto for Poonam Chawla, a 48-year-old doctor, "All my friends and I have read it. And it is just something to giggle over. It is a good airplane read at max!"
Then there are others who read it, but didn't quite like it. "The book is just a series of perverted sexual scenes. I don't think I liked it. Some of the stuff is ridiculous and pretty hard to digest for someone who's been there and done that and knows what sex is all about. My major worry was how to keep my bookworm daughter from reading it. I gave away the books to my friends," says media consultant and mother of two kids, Leela Bharadwaj*.
*Names changed on request
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