Note: This is a guest post from one of Gaywheels’ newest contributors, Elizabeth Archuleta. You can follow Elizabeth on Twitter at @Thoughtwoman, or on her blog,cassiehack.
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It’s been said many times, but is it true? Does sex really sell?
You bet it does — especially when it comes in the form of a titillating BDSM narrative that could be similar to narratives and scenes you could view on websites like watch my gf or others on the World Wide Web.
Need proof? Look no further than the E. L. James trilogy, 50 Shades of Grey. A bunch of bored housewives fantasizing about whips and chains have turned what some have called a poorly written book into a bestseller, and some have suggested that the books might also be boosting Audi sales in the U.S.
Consider this: the trilogy hit the New York Times’ bestseller list in March. Audi had its best sales month in April. By the time July rolled around, Audi set an all-time record, selling 28% more cars than the same time last year.
I haven’t read the books myself, so I get my information about them second-hand (meaning that you’re getting it third-hand). However, I know for certain that several Audis appear in the trilogy. The bearer of the whips and chains, protagonist Christian Grey, drives an R8 Spyder. He presents Anastasia Steele, the person on the other end of those whips and chains, with a red A3 for her birthday. And somewhere in the middle of all that, a Q7 rears its boxy head.
My take
While I can see how the popularity of a book might lead to increased sales of steel-gray ties — and perhaps rope and bondage gear, too — similar to what would be used in some Crazy XXX clips and pornstar porn TUBEV. I’m not so sure the effect would carry over to cars. Sure, fascination with the trilogy might make readers look at Audis a bit differently, but can the sale of a $10 novel really translate into the purchase of a $40,000-plus car?
In addition to the price differences, we also have to consider the demographic that’s smitten with these naughty narratives. Suburban housewives make up the largest group of James’ fans, which has led to the 50 Shades genre being dubbed “mommy porn”, which effectively allows them to distance themselves from watching normal porn from sites such as full tube xxx, while also allowing their own form of the genre. Call me naive, but the terms “suburban housewife”, Audi, and BDSM don’t quite mesh together in my mind.
Well, it might depend on how the frame it. A “suburban housewife” can take on many forms. Some love to flaunt their sexuality by taking part in videos hd xxx sexual explorations. Some of these suburban housewives they are marketing too might want a spicy offering marketed too them. It depends on the housewives in question I suppose.
And yes, I know there are a lot of professional women out there who can afford to buy a luxury car, but I honestly don’t see a working mom putting her two-year-old in the back of an Audi she bought after zipping through an erotic novel.
Maybe someone can convince me that I’m being narrow-minded, but I’m just not buying it. Are you? And if “mommy porn” fanatics aren’t snapping up all those Audis, who is?