Jessie Dorsey
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke has become an international sensation.
It is undeniably popular in our culture to create sexual music videos. What is this saying about our society? Have we decided that it is ok to objectify our peers, degrade women, and take things at face value? I hope not. I hope this video has sparked a fire within our world to question the representation of women in media. This song should not be an international hit.
Has the degradation of women is in our society become so common we don’t even recognize or notice when the artist goes out of his way to offend as much as possible? Why has it become acceptable for offensive songs like “Blurred Lines” to be released? Not only is the image of women in this video disturbing, but this song has promoted worrying messages about sex and consent. With lyrics such as “I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it” and “must wanna get nasty” these messages should be troubling to listeners everywhere. Wake up Robin Thicke, consent has no blurred lines. Young men and women watch and listen to this song (there is now a Kidz Bop version) and I truly hope that this has sparked a debate to readjust the boundaries of what is acceptable in our society.
“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke has become an international sensation.
It is undeniably popular in our culture to create sexual music videos. What is this saying about our society? Have we decided that it is ok to objectify our peers, degrade women, and take things at face value? I hope not. I hope this video has sparked a fire within our world to question the representation of women in media. This song should not be an international hit.
Has the degradation of women is in our society become so common we don’t even recognize or notice when the artist goes out of his way to offend as much as possible? Why has it become acceptable for offensive songs like “Blurred Lines” to be released? Not only is the image of women in this video disturbing, but this song has promoted worrying messages about sex and consent. With lyrics such as “I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it” and “must wanna get nasty” these messages should be troubling to listeners everywhere. Wake up Robin Thicke, consent has no blurred lines. Young men and women watch and listen to this song (there is now a Kidz Bop version) and I truly hope that this has sparked a debate to readjust the boundaries of what is acceptable in our society.
In case you are someone who honestly believes this song is “just a fun song” or “just a catchy tune” let me point out some things that you are bypassing. In the video the men are given all the power and control. There are three fully-clothed men that touch and gawk at women who are dancing with vacant expressions and minimal clothing (none if you watch the uncensored version). As a result, the women seem more like sex dolls for the amusement of the men. Women should stop being seen as sexual objects in music videos (in everything really, but let’s just focus on music). In this video women are not celebrated for their wit, creativity, intelligence, loving nature, or individual beauty. These models are stripped of their clothing, individuality, and voices. Ultimately, whether it is intended or not, the video shows women as sexual objects and devalues the issue of female violence in our world.
Robin Thicke's controversial “Blurred Lines” song has been banned from playing in any of the University of Edinburgh’s student buildings. The campus ban on Thicke's worldwide chart topper falls in line with an Edinburgh University Students' Association policy, entitled “End Rape Culture and Lad Banter on Campus”, which aims to “shut down myths and stereotypes around sexual violence” and stop the sexual objectification of female students. Edinburgh University is not the only place people are taking a stand against “Blurred Lines”. New Zealand law students Zoe Ellwood, Olivia Lubbock, and Adelaide Dunn created a parody of Thicke’s song entitled “Defined Lines”.
The New Zealand parody takes aim at pop videos that objectify women. “The message really is just that we think that women should be treated equally, and as part of that, we’re trying to address the culture of objectifying women in music videos,” Lubbock told New Zealand Newswire. The shocking fact about this video? Youtube took it down for sexually inappropriate content for one day until they later admitted to having made a mistake. Since then the number of views has almost tripled.
The removal of “Defined Lines” from YouTube raises a serious question: why is it wrong to objectify males in a music video, but it is so commonplace it goes unquestioned when women are objectified? Our society needs to purge itself of misogynists, speak up about our opinions, and negotiate what is should mean to be a woman or man in this world and to let that reflect what is seen in music videos, television, movies, and magazines.
Robin Thicke's controversial “Blurred Lines” song has been banned from playing in any of the University of Edinburgh’s student buildings. The campus ban on Thicke's worldwide chart topper falls in line with an Edinburgh University Students' Association policy, entitled “End Rape Culture and Lad Banter on Campus”, which aims to “shut down myths and stereotypes around sexual violence” and stop the sexual objectification of female students. Edinburgh University is not the only place people are taking a stand against “Blurred Lines”. New Zealand law students Zoe Ellwood, Olivia Lubbock, and Adelaide Dunn created a parody of Thicke’s song entitled “Defined Lines”.
The New Zealand parody takes aim at pop videos that objectify women. “The message really is just that we think that women should be treated equally, and as part of that, we’re trying to address the culture of objectifying women in music videos,” Lubbock told New Zealand Newswire. The shocking fact about this video? Youtube took it down for sexually inappropriate content for one day until they later admitted to having made a mistake. Since then the number of views has almost tripled.
The removal of “Defined Lines” from YouTube raises a serious question: why is it wrong to objectify males in a music video, but it is so commonplace it goes unquestioned when women are objectified? Our society needs to purge itself of misogynists, speak up about our opinions, and negotiate what is should mean to be a woman or man in this world and to let that reflect what is seen in music videos, television, movies, and magazines.