This month sees the release of yet another simultaneously chart topping and wholly sexist song, where it is impossible to decide which is more degrading to women – the lyrics themselves or the accompanying video. Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’m talking about the controversial “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, featuring T.I and Pharrell, which I have personally crowned the ‘most rapey song of the summer’. Allow me to explain.
The irony of Thicke’s lyric “just let me liberate you” in Blurred Lines is overwhelming, coming from a man we’ve most recently seen pretending to bum Miley Cyrus live on stage. What he’s doing is the opposite of liberation. By trivializing sexual consent and promoting rape culture, he normalizes sexism in the music industry – an area where it is already widely accepted. The video for this song looks like an animated compilation of American Apparel adverts, an image which is completely unnecessary, whether you’re trying to sell socks or create a music video.
Even worse than the visuals are the actual, misogynistic lyrics. You can pick out phrases used by rape apologists easily, for example, “I know you want it” or the even creepier “I’m a nice guy.” But it’s what can be read between the lines that’s even more sinister. The very title of the song draws upon the concept of what constitutes real rape and what doesn’t, and the ‘blurred lines’ society has over its definition. Furthermore, every lyric has the general, victim-blaming undertone of ‘she was asking for it,’ as we see in the line “when you’ve got them jeans on.” No Robin, that denim wasn’t an invitation. And then there’s the rest of the song, which is just downright disgusting – “do it like it hurt” and “I’ll give you something to tear your ass in two.” Need I say more?
After criticizing the song and the video, I’d like to take a moment to criticize the man himself, who is so self-aggrandizing he has even began to hashtag his own name – #thicke. My problem with #thicke is not that this married father makes suggestive videos with beautiful women half his age, but the fact that he’s so egotistic he feels the need to spell out “Robin Thicke has a big d” in shiny silver balloons in his video, whilst a semi-naked model dances about in front of them, as if to verify this statement. Sorry Robin, but writing something in balloons doesn’t make it true.
Also in the video, he asks the question “what rhymes with hug me?”
I’ve helpfully provided an answer: Robin Thicke, YOU BUG ME.