Drawing Lines

One of the most brilliant things I’ve seen in a while was posted in my Facebook wall today, and I feel inclined to share.  It is a feminist parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video, called “Defined Lines.”  From the initial “#EVERYBIGOTSHUTUP” to the guys in tighty-whities and awesome lyrics, this video is definitely pure win. Seriously, everyone needs to see this... 

Robin Thicke's song “Blurred Lines” has received a plethora of exposure lately, especially considering "his" recent VMA performance.  I put "his" in quotes, because the aspect of that performance that's mostly been discussed has been Miley's contribution, including her ill-fitting costume that made her derriere look less than ideal in close-ups and whatnot.  SIDEBAR: In any further discussion of this incident, I would really appreciate if everyone refrained from using the word “twerking.”  Bending at the waist and shaking does not qualify as “twerking” – anyone who describes it as such clearly doesn’t know what “twerking” is (hint: muscle isolation) and therefore probably should not be using that word to begin with.  But enough about Miley’s behind – let’s talk about the song itself.

“Blurred Lines” has caught a lot of heat both for being “rapey” and having a misogynist video.  The song itself is also as catchy as the clap, so it's everywhere.  Initially, I did not even know the lyrics, save for “YOU DA HOTTEST BITCH IN DIS PLACE” (which I, admittedly, used to yell out whenever it got to that point) – having looked them up, the lyrics can definitely be categorized as creepy, but Thicke alleges that the “Blurred Lines” to which he is referring are not the lines between consensual and non-consensual sex, as has been alleged:

"For me it's about blurring the lines between men and women and how much we're the same," he said. "And the other side which is the blurred lines between a good girl and a bad girl, and even very good girls all have little bad sides to them." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/robin-thicke-blurred-lines-criticism_n_3569560.html

Furthermore, he maintains that the video itself was deliberately misogynist to poke fun at social norms.  Essentially, he’s Pulling a Tosh in the music world.

 “We tried to do everything that was taboo. Bestiality, drug injections, and everything that is completely derogatory towards women. Because all three of us are happily married with children, we were like, ‘We're the perfect guys to make fun of this.’” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/09/robin-thicke-blurred-lines-criticism_n_3569560.html

Truthfully, I was not particularly offended by the song or the video.  Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I. hang out fully clothed amongst (literally) half-naked women as said half-naked women look into the camera and, often, look bored (seriously, I think that I even saw one of them roll her eyes at one point).  The whole thing is just so over-the-top and ridiculous...

Yes, this is actually part of the video...This HAS to be a joke. 

...Plus, as a former avid watcher of TGIF, the novelty of having Jason Seaver’s real-life son tell me that I’m “DA HOTTEST BITCH IN DIS PLACE” cracks me up – EVERY TIME.  Don’t get me wrong – I don’t exactly think that Thicke’s goal with this video was to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his distinguished contributions to social dialogues about gender roles and the repression of female sexuality or anything – the video clearly is what it is to get people talking, to get Thicke exposure, and to sell records.  I can totally understand the controversy behind it and why some people were so offended by it (and I will not post the video itself on my blog out of respect for those people), but, personally, I did not really think much of it.  Maybe it’s because I’m just getting old and tired, because I’ve come to the point where I recognize that, if I were to actually get angry over any and every manifestation of sexism, misogyny, rape culture, and etcetera, I would never, ever stop being completely irate.  Maybe it’s because I grew up listening to Eminem and still actually love his music (despite my feminist world-view and knowledge of the contributions of popular media to social dynamics - yeah, my Eminem appreciation is a whole separate entry), and growing up exposed to this constantly has tremendously desensitized me...Maybe it's because, as I have previously stated, I had such a hard time believing that a guy spelling out crass messages about his genitals with balloons is actually being serious...Either way, the song/video definitely did not bother me as much as it did some other people...

Despite not being particularly offended by the original, I am still so endlessly entertained by this parody.  Please witness the genius for yourself:

WARNING: NSFW: Guys being objectified in underpants and deliberate crass language  - (“You want a box gap?  Show me your six pack.  You want a landing strip?  You’d better get ripped.  I apologize if you think my lines are crass – tell me how it feels to be verbally harassed”)

I think it made an absolutely brilliant statement by flipping deliberate misogyny into deliberate misandry (note:  the misandry is not being condoned, which is a large part of their point), and the lyrics were fantastic.  The absolute highlight was the fact that the guys were not only just willing to do this, but totally committed to their roles and it was hysterically funny... They owned it, and I want to give each and every person involved in this video an enthusiastic and heartfelt high-five.  Seriously, I haven’t seen such a fantastic display of gender-flipping to make a point about popular culture since Jenna Marbles did “Bounce That D*ck."  Oh, you haven't seen that one, either?  Consider it your parting gift for this entry!

I shouldn't even have to put a NSFW warning on this one, because anyone who sees the title of this song and seriously thinks that it's family-friendly or something is officially stupid

Until next time, friends!  :)