Blurred Lines Analysis

997 Words4 Pages
Blurred Lines is a single written and performed by the artists Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. Released in 2013 it has since become one of the best-selling singles of all times. The song’s lyrics and music video became very controversial, getting the reputation of being misogynistic and promoting date rape. The music video in particular shows the patriarchal hegemony of society. The three artists and three models appear in it in very stereotypical roles. This alone can be seen in their attire. Robin Thicke and T.I. are dressed in dark suits wearing sunglasses while Pharrell wears a modern, silver sports suit along with dress shoes. The models wear skimpy, white clothing that leaves their midriffs bare. They are also apparelled with golden necklaces, bangles and belts. The unrated version of the video shows the models wearing only thongs while the men are still wearing their normal attire. Both versions of the music video are extremely…show more content…
This kind of white knighting is very prevalent in our culture accentuating the perceived weakness of womanhood and underlining the supposed inherent strength of men. This is further reinforced by the repeated statement of “I know you want it” a phrase that stereotypes a woman as confused, not knowing what she wants and needing a man explain her own feelings, projecting his own values and thoughts onto her. It is also often a sentence used as a strategy to put down and invalidate victims of rape and sexual assault. The title and often used phrase “blurred lines” also indicates that words and statements of women (e.g. “No means no”) can be disregarded as they are not worth as much as statement of men (e.g. I know you want it”). Either the subject or the mass acceptance of the song can interpellate people into patriarchal assumptions or cause them to accept these stereotypical
Open Document