With the
scheduled release of the Fifty Shades Darker on February 10, fans are
getting excited about seeing their favorite characters and scenes come to life
on the big screen.
Many of us
remember getting pulled into 1,500 plus pages of non-stop reading and being
stunned by the “book hangover” that ensued.
And may writers
still wonder: what made so many go ga-ga for Mr. Grey?
Sex therapist
Sari Cooper, LCSW, offered some great insights into this in “Fifty Shades of
Grey: What You Can Learn about Sex Esteem from the Bestseller,” a lecture she
gave in Manhattan a while back. Cooper, a columnist for Psychology Today and
an ASECT certified sex therapist, outlined what she called “the erotic
triggers” that are written into the book and said these triggers combined are
what kept the heroine, Anastasia Steele (Ana) so stimulated and intrigued, and
made the story so irresistible to readers.
“These are the
multisensory messages that our bodies receive and that get us turned-on,” she
explained. Writers of steamy fiction might find some new hints for making
things hotter. With her permission, here are the top 10 erotic triggers:
1. Powerful hero.
“He is dark, mysterious,
and possibly dangerous — a total Alpha male. He’s wild, dangerous and unpredictable.
Being with him is like a roller coaster ride.”
2. Awakened
Heroine. “She is innocent.
She is the yin to the yang of Christian Grey. She is a young woman awakened by
this man who knows a lot more. “
3. Christian Grey
uses all the senses — taste,
touch, sight, scent, sound. “For example, Ana is always talking about how he
smells and he about her scent. He also consciously uses these different
triggers to arouse her.”
4. Music is huge
part of it. There are many
musical moments in the book that inspire erotic or emotionally charged moments.
5. He appeals to
her psychologically. “He
sends signals to throw her off-balance, such as his first gift of the
collector’s edition of Tess of the d’Urbervilles. He attached a quote from the
book that says there may be danger waiting. It creates more intrigue for her
and she is intrigued by him.”
6.
There is stimulation of all the
erogenous zones and multisensory anticipation. “Christian does it with such expertise,
and so much foreplay, with plenty of time to get Anastasia ready.
A.
Primary erogenous zones. Genitals and breasts.
B.
Secondary erogenous zones: Earlobe, neck.
C.
Tertiary erogenous zones: Feet, arms, scalp.
7. BDSM.
“The book has opened up the door a crack to things people may not have
considered before. In Fifty Shades, Ana has many fears about being hurt, but
when she is in the red room of pain she is not just in pain — she is in a state
of arousal beyond what she would normally feel. Sexual arousal sometimes
involves working with negative emotions such as fear and anxiety. It’s the
experience of being on a roller coaster that enhances the state of arousal.”
8. Love. “Ana
pushes for ‘more’ than being his submissive and he ‘tries’ because he will do
anything to keep her. He’s only had subs [submissive female partners] before,
women that he has controlled, and he is pushed to his hard limits by Ana who is
demanding more. That’s what people love about the book. They want the romance,
the emotional tension. Will it work out for them? They want to know!”
9. The experience of being desired. “This is a huge erotic trigger for women. It’s the experience
of being that special someone. There is no one else in his eyes. He only has
eyes for her. She is the one he longs for. It combines the erotic with the
sensual. Being desired is such a turn on for women.”
10. He’s very loyal. “At first we are not
sure if we can trust him. She talks about his ‘stalker tendencies.’ What wins
Ana over, and wins the reader over, is he’s very loyal. And when she needs him,
he’s there. I think it works because women can feel the fantasy of having that
danger, with the security of having a good relationship.”
The
reader is constantly barraged with these triggers or cues, along with a genuine
emotional connection between the characters. Even if some of the writing is
corny, the sentiments can set women’s hearts afire because they stimulate the
fantasy of the perfect man who is not only gorgeous and rich, but is sexually
masterful and desires her pleasure. His virility and her fertility are a
turn-on and can help the reader feel young, just reading about their
interactions. Sigh.♥
A.C.
Rose is a love and romance columnist and author of steamy romance books. Visit
her at http://acroseauthor.net/.
For more insights to why readers fell in love with Christian Grey, read FALLING
HARD FOR FIFTY by A.C. Rose.
Read
the full article at the Three Tomatoes:
http://thethreetomatoes.com/category/love-sex/hot-romance
READ ROMANCE!
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