Entertainment

Like it or not, Fifty Shades of Grey has become a bonafide global phenomenon we can't seem to shut up about. So it's no surprise E.L. James' steamy series has actually inspired its very own MAGAZINE. If you've been to a newsstand, local drugstore, or bookstore recently, you may have noticed that there's an actual periodical devoted to all things Fifty ... and it's entitled, Fifty Shades ... of American Women Who Love the Book & Live the Life. No, this is not a very early April Fools joke.

The one-off publication is basically a collector's item for Fifty fans -- filled with silly, Cosmo-ish sex quizzes, Fifty Shades-inspired beauty tips, blurbs from women who swear the books transformed their sex lives, and true tales of real people living the BDSM lifestyle. In other words, if you're one of those fans who is waiting with bated breath for the fourth book and first flick, this fanatical publication might be able to tide you over for, oh, a couple of hours or so.

That said, I must admit -- the magazine itself really is not as nutty as it sounds. It's basically entertainment -- and news! -- for hardcore (yes, that description cuts various ways!) Fifty Shades fans. Honestly, it's not all fluff! There's a bevy of interesting info, and not just for upping the ante in the bedroom. In addition to a features about real sex surrogates, subs/doms, and a Mormon who "loved it," the mag features serviceable stories on throwing a Fifty Shades soiree, stirring up a Fifty Shades cocktail, getting "Buns of (Anastasia) Steele" with a kettlebell, the top 20 best sex toys, and 50 ways to release your inner goddess ("Toss [libido-boosting] Maca root into a smoothie!").

In other words, it's pretty much a collector's item that one day, you'll probably look back on in the same horrified/fascinated way you might look back on your Beverly Hills, 90210 Brenda doll, books, or trading cards from the early '90s. (No, I didn't have those when I was a kid. Whatever do you mean ...?)

But seriously, if you want to save yourself $6.99, you could get your Fifty fix here at The Stir. We've covered just about all the ground the magazine does and plan to keeping doing so -- as long as people are still submitting to the power of the phenomenon!

Would you check out the Fifty Shades magazine?

Image via topixmedialab.com