Blog 2: Blurred Lines

Prompt 1 –I decided to focus on the music industry, selecting the music video Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke, identifying the male gaze on music videos focusing on how women are being objectified. Blurred Lines, is a music video that introduces women technically naked, women running around in thongs and without a bra. Having the repetition of saying “I know you want it” might be a catchy phrase especially if it is constantly repeated but towards women it is focusing on women having sex.Glamorizing the occurrence of violence towards women.                                     

Prompt 2 –

1) Robin Thicke featuring T.I and Pharrell, from the R&b and Pop culture create a message that objectifies women from the idea of sexual consent. After observing the video, the music industry always seems to objectify women because of their looks, actions, feelings, or body size. This music video was a number one top hit on the billboards, understanding that this song was in relation to rape. The lyrics mention disturbing comments to make women feel uncomfortable and realize that as much as women say no, men are still being insistent and proving to women they will have sex with them. Consumerism plays a major role in putting this song as the number one hit, it catches the audience attention. In relation to the youth, it is music we are playing on the radio advocating that it is okay to be doing such things educating the youth that it is okay to peer pressure women and humiliate them in public by dehumanizing them because of the difference in male and females.

2)Men in the music video are fully dressed in dark clothing, as in black suits with white tops. The background throughout the video is a very light pink while the women presented are fairly in skin tone while the majority of women are performing topless with a nude underwear. Representing them as if they are naked because the bottoms of the women are hardly noticeable. While wearing bright red lipstick to stand out. Another creative technique they used was bringing in a lamb and a dog in the video representing women as being animals. Doing certain actions like playing an instrument, throwing big dice around, riding a tall bicycle, and laying in a mattress.

3) Coming from different perspectives I believe any gender can state their own opinion about the message being given. As for men, it can be pleasing having women satisfying their needs and completing certain tasks that dehumanizes women just for a music video. Men in the music industry see this as a norm because of the consistency women being presented in videos always being half dressed and acting certain ways to please men. Moreover women, some women might see this as normal because of the exposure we have towards videos. Always seeing women with little to no clothes to catch the audience attention and match the lyrics. Another thing is when we begin to analyze the lyrics and what the actual song is stating that is when women take the songs offensive. Understanding that rape is traumatizing towards women and knowing that consent does not change whether they have sex or not. Makes women feel like they have no say even when it is their body.

4)

Robin Thicke, presented women holding animals because of the phrase stated that women are animals, and its their nature. This video is acknowledging a stereotype that men believe women are suppose to act a certain way because we are females. For the most part women are used for their body and are presented wearing no clothing to prove to the audience that women regardless of them saying no to sex a man knows how to turn that around into a yes. Insulting them by calling them a bitch and women just hang out with the men walking around them to make them want their attention,

5) The reason why this message is being sent is for popularity, by gaining views they were able to make this video win the top hit on the billboards. Music videos express racism and sexism, which makes women feel uncomfortable. Young women are the ones that are being impacted the most because it proves to them the definition of beauty body size, hair length, skin tone, colored eyes a variety of characteristics that limit certain women to fit in this category. Women are in music videos for attraction if a music video does not have women being exposed it would probably not get as many views because having women is a norm.