The storm involving the chart-topper; ‘Blurred Lines’ began with the University of Edinburgh but has quickly had an effect in seven other Student Unions. The Universities all in the United Kingdom have prohibited the tune in order to shut down myths and stereotypes around sexual violence and to stop the sexual objectification of female students. With featured lyrics such as “I know you want it” and “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two”, it is no surprise that the American’s international bestseller has sparked widespread criticism of sexism but with Rhianna having a song purely dedicated to sadism & masochism and young artists such as Selena Gomez with songs such as ‘Come and Get it’ should Thicke’s song be pinned down? Or does society nowadays feel the need to purely discuss sexual in an inappropriate manner in order to gain popularity?
The backlash has been somewhat unbelievable. It has even generated heat among Feminists, who have referred to the ban as a victory, Lisa Huyme has said that the song may be catchy but it is disgusting. Three law students from New Zealand have become a YouTube sensation after parodying the video and making their own feminist version. Predictably they even won the approval of Caitlin Moran. Indeed, we cannot deny that the song to an extent objectifies women and promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh that involved more than 7000 found that 14/15 year olds who listen to songs featuring degrading references to sex are more likely to be sexually active.
It is no surprise that Robin Thicke has defended his song; he has vehemently denied the accusations. He has actually stated that the hit is about the feminist movement, “it does not matter if a girl is good or bad, every woman can have a good time”. The singer has not been compared to other artists though, which is the main theme I shall be discussing today. Recent Kingston Journalism graduate, Hollie Wilson said: “I think it’s a bit ridiculous. There are so many other songs with sexist, crude, indecent lyrics that are offensive and insulting, you can’t just ban one. Rhianna’s S&M single is all about women enjoying being sexually abused, being hit with whips and chains, which is arguably just as bad.
In the 1980s, it was feared that society would fall prey to Madonna’s release of ‘Like a Virgin’. It was Madge’s naughty innuendos and arousing imagery which sparked the controversy. We cannot forget Katy Perry’s song ‘Peacock’ either, which refers to genitalia, in fact one could argue that these particular lyrics are pressuring men to reveal all. This is not about men versus women though, researching this topic has led me to listen to all sorts of explicit and inappropriate songs. How about Flo Rida’s ‘Right Round’ featuring Kesha? It was a number 1 hit for six weeks and let us not forget his other international hit single ; Whistle. These songs need no explanation and are not hard to understand. Therefore why is it then that they songs are allowed on student radios or elsewhere on campus yet Thicke’s song is not?
Undoubtedly, social networking sites and the movies are other outlets which happily engage in this activity, even if irrelevant to the plot. Is society nowadays attracted to this rebellious content or is it forced upon us ? By heightening controversy are they stimulating publicity? We cannot deny that Robin Thicke’s blurred lines doesn’t approach the topic lightly and his chosen words are very direct but surely it is unfair to highlight one example when there are others out there reenacting the same.