Fifty Shades of Grey sold copies of over 50 million and fans were all eagerly waiting for the official announcement of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie casting.

Everybody fell in love with the sweet but plain looking Anastasia Steele and swooned over hunk Christian Grey.

However, in a research conducted by Amy E. Bonomi, Department of Human Development Chair at Michigan State University, titled "Double Crap! Abuse and Harmed Identity in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'", it was found out that "Fifty Shades of Grey" promoted sexual violence against women.

Essentially, the study found out that Christian Grey's behaviour toward Anastasia Steele was similar to sexual abuse as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Ms Bonomi.

An excerpt of the study is as follows:

"Our systematic analysis of Fifty Shades of Grey, the first novel in the trilogy, reveals pervasive emotional and sexual violence in Christian and Anastasia's relationship. Our analysis also shows Anastasia suffers significant harm as a result--including constant perceived threat, managing/altering her behaviors to keep peace in the relationship, lost identity and disempowerment and entrapment as her behaviors become mechanized in response to Christian's abuse.

Christian uses an interlocking pattern of emotional abuse strategies--stalking, intimidation, isolation, and humiliation-- to manipulate and control every aspect of Anastasia's behavior. These strategies are consistent with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's definitions of intimate partner violence.

Our analysis identified patterns in Fifty Shades that reflect pervasive intimate partner violence--one of the biggest problems of our time. Further, our analysis adds to a growing body of literature noting dangerous violence standards being perpetuated in popular culture--including standards that promote the "entrapment" of women in dangerous, unsatisfying relationships."

In an interview with Detroit Free Press, Ms Bonomi clarified that the study does not aim to ban the novel.

"We do not want to ban the book. What we do want is for people to understand abuse patterns. Just knowing the patterns exist and calling it out is important. I can't tell you the number of students I've had in my classrooms who've told me they had no idea what they were experiencing was abuse. Simply being aware is the first step in potentially improving things in your situation," Ms Bonomi said.

E.L. James, author of "Fifty Shades of Grey," previously defended her novel against claims that her novel promotes sexual abuse.

"People who think that are sort of demonizing women who actually enjoy these kinds of relationships. What people get up to behind closed doors, providing it is safe, sane, consensual and legal, is completely up to them and it's not for you, I or anybody to judge," Ms James said during an interview with Katie Couric in 2012.

Ms Bonomi had an answer to this.

"We think if it goes on behind closed doors, it's nobody's business. How many murder suicides do we have to continue to see? If people see someone beating a child hard, they're likely to step in, say something or report it. That's not so true when people know a woman is being beaten."

However, women fans of "Fifty Shades of Grey" think that the novel was in no way promoting sexual abuse.

Detroit Free Press was able to interview some women who read the novel.

"It's engrossing. You can't put in down once you start, sort of like watching a car accident. It's more like role-playing. I don't think it's real violence," said Alejandra Villegas, 25.

"I saw it as a man having his likes and dislikes as far as sex. It's not like he was kidnapping or raping her. There were some parts where I thought, 'Oh, no, I wouldn't do that, but some people do. It was a light novel with some quirky sex that we don't talk about, but we know goes on. I saw it as a love story, I really did," Jackie Lindsay, 60, told Detroit Free Press.