‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Won’t Feature The Infamous Tampon Scene

Fifty Shades of Grey is already one of the most talked about upcoming films for being a sexually explicit adaptation of an even more explicit novel. But one scene in the novel Fifty Shades of Grey, in particular, was a topic of much debate, and it was cut from the movie, according to the Huffington Post.

In the book, the rich playboy Christian has to remove the tampon of Anastasia Steele before having sex with her. According to Fifty Shades of Grey’s director Sam Taylor-Johnson, the scene wasn’t even considered for the movie.

“It didn’t make it into the movie,” Taylor-Johnson admitted to Variety. “It was never even discussed.”

While that scene might not be as off-putting to some people as certain sex acts depicted in Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s no secret that some audience members wouldn’t be able to stomach the tampon scene. The public attitude toward menstruation and feminine hygiene has never been a pleasant one, despite new efforts from tampon companies to de-stigmatize the perception of women’s periods.

But Fifty Shades of Grey is most famous for featuring sadomasochistic sex, wherein Christian Grey sexually dominates Ana Steele–with questionable consent. And many of those scenes are still featured in the movie, though fans are still unsure how much the movie is willing to show. For example, the couple’s first sexual encounter is still in the Fifty Shades film; and that takes place in a setting called the Red Room of Pain.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson took the scenes very seriously and worked closely with Fifty Shades of Grey screenwriter Kelly Marcel to ensure that the explicit scenes were tastefully translated to the screen.

“On the early draft, there was a sense that there was way too much sex. The story, of course, is of equal importance. We tried to balance the narrative correctly, so one doesn’t feel like it’s drowning the other. It’s the buildup that’s interesting. I feel that in movies, the minute there’s penetration, it’s all over.”

Some fans of Fifty Shades of Grey might be disappointed that the film omitted the most famous scene, but Inside Movies claims that many fans will be grateful not to have to watch the tampon removal.

While some of the sex has been toned down, the raunchy nature of Fifty Shades of Grey has the leading actress Dakota Johnson on edge for her upcoming explosion of fame. Read what she has to say about Fifty Shades causing her loss of anonymity here.