Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" music video has received worldwide attention because of the message that is indicted in the scene. Two sides are present when depicting the message portrayed. After reading "Blurred Lines... Is Kind of Rapey" by Tricia Romano, I could sense the anger and discomfort that many were feeling about the message in "Blurred Lines." I also read "Blurred Lines' is Cocky, Yes. But Rapey, No." by Jennifer Lai. The opinions expressed in this particular article were less of a concern towards women. Both articles had respective points to why the lyrics and music video raise concern to women.
My opinion after reading both sides to the Robin Thicke issue is that the music video and lyrics of the top 100 Billboard song were not meant to be harmful towards women. The intentions of the song were nothing more than a guy and girl flirting. Lai makes a valid point saying, "In fact, he's putting the ball in her court by telling her to make the move and not the other way around." Lai is reffering to the line "I know you want it" which implies that the girl wants it but doesn't use any forceful or non-consenting action in the lyric. Thicke may advertise himself as a cocky douche in the video but not to the extreme of a rapist. Maura Johnston, featured in the "Blurred Lines... Is Kind of Rapey" article, said, "Lyrically it's problematic, but I feel like so many pop songs right now are problematic." Johnston is a well-known critic and she feels that "Blurred Lines" is getting too much attention when there are songs that have a bigger controversial issue.
"Blurred Lines" is another song that hit the top of the charts and someone found something wrong with the message. Yes, some parts of the video may not look ethically correct; however, there isn't an implied message that has rape written all over it. Today's artists and lyrics are risky and they have to be with how competitive the market is. I think the message was interpreted incorrectly among viewers and was simply a flirtatious gesture. Media has blown up several situations that didn't need to be just to make money. This is one of those situations or "mix ups" that media has created.
