Blurred Lines? Group One

Robin Thicke pushed the boundaries of the radio waves in 2013 when he dropped his single “Blurred Lines”. Filled with lyrics about how much he knows women want sex, many people have been viewing this song as a step backwards from the progress that women have been making to keep themselves from being objectified. The song was complemented by a video that, of course, raised even more concerns than the song, especially in feminist circles. As a feminist response to the bigotry of Thicke’s video, a group of women called Auckland Uni created a parody called “Defined Lines” during the same year. We attempt to give a queer reading of these two videos comparing them to one another using Adrienne Rich’s definition of queer which is mainly about stomping out patriarchy once and for all. She says that “Women could be indifferent to [men] altogether; that men could be allowed sexual and emotional access to women only on women’s terms” (643). We will show how the feminist video utilizes Rich’s advice about how women can fight against the normalization of a dominant male culture.

Thicke’s video for “Blurred Lines” is set in what appears to be a strange sort of private party atmosphere that features a variety of scantily clad women. Throughout, these women are portrayed in a way that conveys innocence and vulnerability. They are lead around by Thicke and his other male counterparts like sheep, clothed in various nude and muted colors, and their hair is periodically brushed and petted as if they were dolls. Their childlike appearance contrasts the stance of power and assurance belonging to Thicke and the other men present. This imagery is problematic in that it enforces a gender binary that asserts that men should hold dominance over women, the weaker sex. “Defined Lines” goes as far as to completely juxtapose what Thicke is intending to do in his video and dominate the males in a repressive role. The women covey their dominance by spraying whip cream and putting a vibrator in the men’s mouths; this is in reference to the male organ being used as a powerful mechanism in diminishing them. One of the singers then totes one of the men like a dog across the video frame on a leash like a dog. The intention is obvious in showing that women have just as much control over the opposite sex as men. In society, it wouldn’t be as shocking for women to take on an acting role in a music video as just a prop; such as the three women in “Blurred Lines.” But it seems extraordinarily degrading when one witnesses the man dressed in a leash. Society doesn’t seem as phased by degradation of women, but appalled when it is turned on men, this is precisely the point that the Auckland Uni artists are intending to make.

This rejection of male power and appetite that we see in Defined Lines falls in place directly with Rich's ideas of the lesbian continuum. Specifically, it capitalizes on the power that women hold as gatekeepers to intimacy, and their ability to choose how, when, and why to seek it, “It seems more probable that men fear… women could be indifferent to [men] altogether, that men could be allowed sexual and emotional access to women only on women’s terms”(643).  The entirety of the song, besides acting as a massive "Fuck You" to Robin Thicke, not only flips the gender dynamics we usually see in many music videos, but emphasizes women’s choice and agency in engaging in heterosexual relationships - with one girl going so far as to reject the whole thing entirely (“Your precious dick can’t beat my vibrator”). The videos continued deliberate use of phrases like, “our liberation”, “we don’t want it” also draws attention to the importance of unity and gives the viewer an impression of general female support through shared experience of misogyny and objectification. This idea of women supporting women against the patriarchy is an integral part of Rich’s lesbian continuum, and despite lacking any overt sexual material between women (except for a brief scene where two of the women “share” a man), the video imparts this through empowerment and female connection.

Unfortunately, Robin Thicke’s music video for “Blurred Lines” and the message it’s imagery presents is not uncommon in the music industry, Representations of the dominant male and the subordinate woman are present in music videos and performances cross genre and culture. Auckland Uni’s parody, “Defined Lines,” shows a different potential for the world of music media. It offers the argument that the more common representations we are given may not be the only way sex and gender play out in real life. Although some might deem it too extreme or comical, much like Rich’s idea of the lesbian continuum it shows that perhaps there is a different way to exist. A greater allowance of variability in the music industry could be the key to unlocking a world of possibilities for the representation of women in our society.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. In general, what does the term “Blurred Lines” in the music video “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke mean in context of sex, gender roles, and harassment? What are Auckland Uni artists trying to say by naming their parody “Defined Lines?” In what ways to the compare
2. Auckland Uni’s parody of “Blurred Lines” attempts to break down the stereotypical presentation of sex and gender contained in the original music video. In our opinion it serves as a powerful visual tool that fights the way women are portrayed by the media. What are some ways you believe tangible change can be made in our everyday lives? How can we better represent women in the workplace, in classrooms or in our neighborhoods?
3. We classified Auckland Uni’s video as queer because it is fighting against a normalized system of patriarchy. What do we have to do to take Auckland Uni’s ideas about women’s rights out of the “queer” zone? Is this video a good way to change the way that males view women? Is it too radical, making people shy away from feminism?