Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Social Media
  3. News

Twitter throws major shade at 50 Shades author E.L. James in Twitter Q&A

By

e l james disastrous twitter screen shot 2015 06 30 at 10 23 50 pm
Twitter
The Internet, its relative anonymity, and apparent promise of impunity, is always a breeding ground for more-aggressive-than-normal behavior, and the #AskELJames session on Twitter was no exception to the rule. She may have landed herself a movie deal, but despite the relative commercial success of the 50 Shades of Grey franchise, E.L. James learned the hard way on Twitter that critics are often louder (and more conspicuous) than fans.

In what may have been the worst PR mistake of 2015, E.L. James decided to participate in a Twitter question-and-answer session, which ended in tweets filled with more shade than James’ entire trilogy. With many accusations regarding her oft-perceived glorification of abusive relationships and misrepresentation of BDSM culture, the gloves came flying off on Twitter in a setup that was 50 shades of yikes.

Recommended Videos

The books, if you haven’t had a chance to indulge, are Twilight fan fiction gone sexually astray (even more so than they are already by merit of being, well, Twilight fan fiction). The relationship between protagonists Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey is, at best, kinky, and at worst, abusive (much like Bella and Edward of Twilight). Participants in the Twitter barrage were quick to point out this uncomfortable truth, not sparing anyone’s feelings when it came to asking questions like the following:

Do you ever feel guilty that you made so much money from romanticizing sexual abuse and selling it as "erotica romance"? #AskELJames

— Melanin Monroe (@Jherane_) June 29, 2015

#AskELJames Is it only ok for Christian to stalk, coerce, threaten & manipulate Ana because he's hot, or is it also ok because he's rich?

— 50 Shades is abuse (@50shadesabuse) June 29, 2015

Did you see the abusive relationship of Bella and Edward and think "hmm needs more abuse" #AskELJames

— R_chelCh_rlt_nD_iley (@RachelCDailey) June 29, 2015

Other questions zoned in on tweeters’ poor opinions of James’ writing abilities, which have, truth be told, come up numerous times, particularly when it comes to the lack of variation in the writing of love scenes.

#AskELJames after the success of "Grey," have you considered re-telling the story from the perspective of someone who can write

— Andrew Vestal (@avestal) June 29, 2015

Then, of course, there was the running commentary on just how awful the tweets were (at James’ expense, of course), with tweeters expressing facetious concern about the state of James’ feelings following what could only be dubbed a Twitter evisceration.

#AskELJames Are you going to take a cold bath later to recover from being so thoroughly burned on Twitter today?

— Vanessa C. (@nessaskybooks) June 29, 2015

#AskELJames Do all these negative tweets sent to you seem abusive to you? I think it's romantic enough to be turned into a novel!

— Stephan Krosecz (@Krosecz) June 29, 2015

Ultimately, one tweet summed it up best:

Whoever planned out the #AskELJames tag has obviously never, ever met Twitter.

— Summer Heacock (@Fizzygrrl) June 29, 2015

Cease and desist, Twitter and E.L. James.

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more