"Blurred Lines" - Controversy

Blurred Lines - Controversy

 

Recently the smash hit "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke has come under a lot of scrutiny. This week, University College London student union (UCLU) took the unusual step of banning the single. It joins around 20 other UK student unions to do so. The song was released at the end of March by Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and rapper TI. The R&B song is about a woman in a nightclub who may or may not be interested in him. In April it was described it as a "rape song" and this is where the controversy began. There are sonme phrases in the song that hint at the song being about rape and promiscuity. Phrases such as "you know you want it". This can be seen as offensive to the female audience but then again is the song aimed at a female audience? Going further, it is also argued that the song is not an insult to the female audience because the director of the song was female and if you look at the video in a new light, it can be argued that the women are in a dominant position and the males are in a subordinate position this is because they are the desired items that the men want but cannot have.