Robin Thicke’s recently produced “Blurred Lines” is definitely pretty catchy, but do you really know what you’re singing? A closer look at the lyrics reveals some material that should make you think twice about jamming along next time it comes on the radio.
In response to this song, a group of law students from Auckland University created a feminist parody, calling Robin Thicke’s bluff. The video was removed from YouTube soon after it was posted, due to the fact that it apparently violated YouTube’s terms and condition by displaying “sexually explicit content,” due to the men in the video wearing only underwear. But hold up. Isn’t that what the “Blurred Lines” video does? Or would the video be the same without the half-naked women?
Olivia Lubbock, one of the creators of the video “Defined Lines,” admitted that it was meant to be somewhat “tongue in cheek.” She said, “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. It’s just funny that the response has been so negative when you flip it around and objectify males.”
“Defined Lines” was recently reinstated after the girls appealed, and can be found now on YouTube where it was originally posted.
One woman, Reba Hayes, set up a petition on change.org to have “Blurred Lines” removed, since it contained inappropriate content. The petition calls for YouTube to uphold its censor system, as it has done with “Defined Lines.”
The question is, if YouTube lets this happen once, how many times has it happened before? The double standards of media are in question, and one has to wonder if it’s ever going to change. I definitely believe it’s time for people to stand up and protest. The world is changing, but not at the pace that many would want. With every new victory, there’s another setback in the realm of equality.
In an interview on the Today show, Thicke said, “I think that’s what great art does—it’s supposed to stir conversation, it’s supposed to make us talk about what’s important and what the relationships between men and women are.” He added, “If you listen to the lyrics, it says, “‘That man is not your maker.’ It’s actually a feminist movement within itself.”
Sorry, Robin, but I’m not buying the stuff you’re selling. I think it’s great if you claim to love women (yet objectify them), but you are not the next Messiah by telling me that a man is not my maker. The fact that women even need to be told this is a huge concern for humankind. Women should know from the very beginning that they don’t need a man to be their own person.
Do I believe that YouTube has double standards? Most definitely. But the good thing is, there will always be an outcry against it. That much gives me hope for humanity.
