As soon as it was released on March 26, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” featuring Pharrell and T.I. took off. The music video had over one million views on YouTube after only a few days. The record has gone platinum in several countries and was named Billboard’s Number 1 Song of the Summer, according to billboard.com.
Thicke berates women and begs them to surrender to his sexual fantasies, backing up his orders with his own desire. He convinces society that he is a victim to his sex drive and cannot control himself around women. These stereotypes do not do actual men justice, and listeners are forced to believe that all men are uncontrollable and dishonest. The few women who have spoken their minds should not be alone in their condemnation because it attacks all sides of society.
At no point in the explicit version of the “Blurred Lines” video is Thicke trying to sugarcoat his message–the stop sign plastered onto a naked woman three and a half minutes in can confirm that. Thicke is glamorizing rape, and we have validated it.
Instead of mindlessly consuming music without listening to its message, perhaps we should consider the consequences of the offenses we condone.
Just as women are more than sexual objects, men are more than uncontrollable sex fiends. Thicke swings a double-edged sword in “Blurred Lines.” Consumers are to blame for enjoying the song without worry as much as Thicke, Pharrell and T.I. are for creating the song in the first place.
Blurring the lines between consent and rape is despicable, and its time for all of us to respect ourselves and disprove the stereotypes.