Psychoanalysis of Robin thicke’s Blurred Lines
Robin Thicke Blurred Lines.
In this video they show and compare women/ models to farm animals and the value and apparent deception of them. This video has been split into two different types of mind thoughts, the conscious mind and the unconscious mind. This is the theory conceptualised by Sigmund Freud, however this can be sub sectioned into, The id, The ego and The superego. Splitting a mind or in this case the video into these sections would show how a person naturally reflects their own self, views and actions unconsciously but then naturally delivers them through their conscious thoughts without control, According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behaviour and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. Cherry. K, N/A,
What is psychoanalysis? To anyone unfamiliar with its checkered history it might seem strange to have to ask this question over 11 decades after Sigmund Freud’s… Surely if it has been around this long we should know what it is? Barnaby B.Barratt, 2012, some writers such as barnaby argue that shouldn’t it be solved is it because of the constant growing society that the three sub sections below are progressing/ changing because society standards change.
Q. What is the future of psychoanalysis
A. The future of psychoanalysis depends upon the improvement in its technique, the general cultural advance… Isador H, Coriat 1999
The Id, the gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. Cherry, K , N/A, in Frued’s theory is the pleasure principle and is the first immediate. Out of the three components of Freud’s theory, The Id is the one that we are born with and not developed, taking on the most importance when we are a child as it is our main form of communication when we are in need of something. However if the pleasure principle is always met it often leads to a negative outcome, therefore by Freud’s studies he learnt that people create a mental image as a way of satisfying the need. Cherry, K, N/A.
The second component of Freud’s theory is The Ego. The sole purpose for the ego is for it to be able to control the previous thoughts and turn them into an acceptable action which would not be perceived as a negative. This is why in Freud’s theory it works in each mind set, the conscious, preconscious and unconscious, so the thoughts are based and controlled on what society allows and performs through time.
The last component of Freud’s theory of mind sets is the The Superego. It is a development of the ego and it is the state of form that we learn from our parents and society which teaches us right from wrong. This process is learnt from the age of five however to learn this it is split into subsections which are the ego ideal and the conscience.
This theory has been developed from the understanding of Freud’s first hand observations and studies of particular patients he worked with. This image shows how Freud’s theory reflects the human brain and that all the conscious thoughts are heavily dependent on the unconscious which is out of our control.
(Image by historicair )
Music videos are one of the biggest and wide spread influential types of media, however the views, words and videos can be viewed as wrong or misleading to what the artist of the video intended to compose. The reason there is a lot of conflict in the music industry is because of the to the amount of freedom the artists are allowed to create with. Robin Thicke’s video, ‘blurred lines’ is an excellent example of this and how psychoanalysis works with the human brain. This video significantly demonstrates the value and acceptance of women in the music industry in the 21st century.
In Robin Thicke’s video all parts of the subsections of Freud’s idea of how the brain has developed to what society accepts today are demonstrated.
Music videos in particular reflect on what is acceptable and performable in society conveying the majority of people’s views and accepted thoughts and the actions which are taken in music videos.
In Robin Thicke video it shows each, Id, The Ego and The SuperEgo. It is questionable however if this video is performed on what the music industry is seen as acceptable? Or if the video is performed in this way because of the inequality of sexes or due to the natural desire a man has for a woman. When music videos are composed they are intended to be enticing in a bid to draw the video into its message or storyline. When breaking ‘Blurred lines’ down into sections it shows how the need for this has changed from what it used to be.
The main part of this video which caused the most controversial impact was the nudity that is conveyed throughout. The comparison of the women to farm animals was also caused critics to be alarmed to what could be seen as a distasteful portrayal of women.
Firstly it is clear that the natural desires of men are clearly met throughout this video regardless of the argument that questions if it is right or wrong. The Id is the natural desire and what Freud’s theory states is innate to every human being. It is plausible to state then that this video, regardless of how controversial it may seem, that this composers of this music video are just creating a performance showing what everyone would naturally be feeling or desiring.
Secondly, even though these thoughts are meant to be controlled by ‘The Ego’ this form and part of the cycle is reflected on what is acceptable, so even though the video draws strong criticisms it is in fact seen as acceptable in society. Therefore ‘The Superego’ is extended by the previous notion that society is and has accepted the development in music videos like this one, therefore the messages usually conform to societal norms and stereotypes constantly portrayed to us by the media, and we accept what we see as normal Ibrahim, S Dec 7th 2012.
When looking at the development of the music industry in recent years as a result of meeting the need and desires of the consumer it can be said that the increase in this type of music videos is inevitable. Over the last 2/3 years nudity in music videos has increase. Psychoanalysis plays a massive part due to the natural desires changing therefore effecting The Ego as society norms on this subject matter alter.
When looking at videos such as Nelly, ‘Move that body,’ desires were conveyed at a lesser level, however a higher performance needed to be implemented to keep viewers interested. The questions that arises is whether or not women agree and welcome the opportunity to perform in this type of manner, Sexual objectification of women in music videos isn’t limited to those featuring male stars. A new study by two University of Missouri researchers has found that female artists frequently turn themselves into sex objects in their own videos, begging the question: “Ya think?” L.A Times Music Blog 4th April 2012.
This video primarily looks at Lady Gaga and how she as an artist and performer who uses herself in her videos in a manner that can be seen as objectifying the female body. This enhances the view that it is not just men that subject women to such portrayals, but rather both men and women guide female performances such as these, “The images coming from these music videos are very powerful and influential,” Frisby said. “Young audiences may interpret these sexually objectifying images as important ways to be seen as attractive and valuable to society, especially with how pervasive these videos are throughout our culture.”L.A Times Music Blog 4th April 2012, This reinforces both points of how women seduce themselves as well as enhancing the psychoanalysis theory at the stage of “The Ego.” It demonstrates the assertion that music videos are changeable viewers constantly altering their views and how they feel music videos should be composed as people try to conform to meet the needs of the opposite sex.
When watching a music video the music needs to be powered by the imagery rather then the performers themselves, music videos want to grant power to the music. If the music can seem to have agency, the viewer will listen as much as they watch. Vernallis.C N/A When the viewers watch a video they need to understand what the movement is and how to perform it themselves, dance is essential to music video because it teaches how the music is to be experienced in the body, As an example of a artist, when people saw Missy Elliot move could the viewers really get behind her music. Vernallis. C N/A this is similar to the music video, ‘Blurred Lines,’ due to the fact that there is movement in music and by viewers natural desires it has to be watched to perform.
The way a mucic video is created also depends on where the performers are and their background, one of the most powerful ways to do this is through race and sex. African American women’s bodies in videos are often eye-poppingly beautiful, Vernallis. C N/A. This depends on the viewers perspective, but also the desires on the certain type of person, linking this back to ‘blurred lines’ has a collation due to the fact that all three woman are from different races, creating a mixed background but creating stronger feelings towards the music video.
The use of sexual domination is used throughout the video by implementing objects such as the bike to show metaphoric use in order to demonstrate dominance of the sexes and to signify who is in control and who is subordinate. Animals are used to suggest the second class and position of women in society as animals are lower than the human kind therefore implying men own or control what they do and command as they want. By the performer saying ‘meow’ 0:44 it enhances the fact of woman are being compared to something that is controlled. The ratio of men to women is equal however even though this is true, the men still dominate the women by them dancing and trying to seduce the men rather then the other way around. At 1:32 when the singers say ‘hottest bitch in this place’ neither of the singers point at the women rather at the animal and the viewers, showing that the animals are noticed more then the women.
In this particular video there are two versions due to the explicit imagery not being allowed to be shown on YouTube and only on Vivo.
Firstly, in the YouTube video the women are wearing white throughout each sequence which could be to symbolise that they are pure like a bride traditionally is on her wedding day. This could be argued against due to the way they are showing their body which contradicts the symbolism of the colour white. The white is then wrapped in transparent PVC which then has various meanings, how the women are wrapped and unable to do the stuff they would naturally desire to do, which is why they would dress like this in particular to show how they are feeling on the inside and conforming to what men would want, this further conflicts with the natural meaning of innocence of the white.
The difference in the Vevo version is the amount of nudity that is used. The public say they want to see certain things in music videos however when it is performed they don’t see it as acceptable, the natural desire for men is too see women naked.
Below are four different types of videos that consider the use of woman and the growing desires of the public. The reason for choosing these four different videos is too show the movement in the music industry but how the public is a large factor in the performing of actors/singers.
Ciara like a boy – 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HKH7Emy1SY
Nelly- Move that body- 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ_gP_hFOss
Katy Perry- California gurls ft. Snoop Dogg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F57P9C4SAW4
Beyonce- If I were a boy 2009 http://www.youtube.com/results?
Ciara like a boy 2009
Beyonce If I were a boy 2009
The reason for choosing these two videos was two show the growth in equality and how at this point desire was to see men and woman the same, the videos don’t show nudity however power of what the sexes have, this reflects the previous point to the cultural point of psychoanalysis and how race does affect the performance within a video.
Nelly Move that body 2010
Katy Perry California Gurls ft Snopp Dogg
By showing these two videos it shows the changes in desires in music videos, both of these were performed in 2010 and in the three years to blurred lines progression needed to be made. Both of these videos are still trying to be seductive however mostly only half dressed.
To conclude, the portrayal of the psychoanalysis theory used in ‘blurred lines’ and the music industry over time is demonstrated by the performers/ artists trying to meet the viewers needs and desires which are constantly developing and changing. However a key question to consider is whether regression is needed due to these performers having such a big impact on the younger society and how they feel their image should conform to. So is it society’s fault that music videos turn out like this as their composition are guided by our natural desires, or is it the artists responsibility for performing in the way people want them to.
Reference list
Vernallis, C, (2004), Experiencing music video: Aesthetics and cultural context, Available at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DjDIw2pxjiMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Experiencing+music+video:+aesthetics+and+cultural+context&hl=en&sa=X&ei=b8aIUdqlBojs0gWenYD4Bg&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA (Accessed on May 4th )
Cherry, K N/A,, The Structural Model Of Personality: The Id, Ego and Superego, Available at http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/personalityelem.htm (Accessed on May 4th )
Duveen, G, (2008) Serge Moscovicin Psychoanalysis: Its Image and its Public Available at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Tx1GBC8rlZgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=psychoanalysis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=R8iIUer7L43I0AXElYAQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=psychoanalysis&f=false (Accessed on May 4th )
Ibrahim,S, 7th Dec 2012, Psychoanalytic Analysis and Feminist Theory in Music Videos, Available at http://prezi.com/o_gv_8-l_srx/psychoanalytic-analysis-and-feminist-theory-in-music-videos/ (Accessed on May 5th )
N/A, STANDFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PHILOSOPHY, Mon, May 16th , 2011, Psychoanalytic Feminism, Available at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-psychoanalysis/ (Accessed on May 5th )
Coriat Isador, H, 1999, Founded by C.K. Ogden, What is Psychoanalysis, Available http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wCxXhcn5JBQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=what+is+psychoanalysis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=AMqIUaf0G-Kl0wXYuYHIDg&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAw (Accessed on May 5th )
Barratt, Barnaby, B 2012, Routledge. What is Psychoanalysis, 100 years after Freud’s ‘ Secret Committee’ Available at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ed0ZY-73FasC&printsec=frontcover&dq=what+is+psychoanalysis&hl=en&sa=X&ei=d8qIUdTuIamp0QW_8YCoCQ&ved=0CD0Q6wEwAQ (Accessed on May5th )
Robin Thicke: The Un-Feminist
“Blurred Lines”, Robin Thicke’s latest song featuring Pharrell and T.I, has caught the eye of many viewers as it includes women wearing nothing but a flesh coloured thong and shoes. The video was uploaded on to the popular video hosting site, YouTube. YouTube has had a monumental effect on the change in music as it moves into the digital age. Any artist, whether signed to a record label or not, can put their songs and accompanying videos into the public domain. This is a form of exposure that an artist can’t shun, considering it’s free and YouTube was the most visited website between 2010 and 2012 (YouTube Traffic Statistics, no date). However, due to YouTube’s mass audience, Google, the owners of YouTube, has put in place a “Terms Of Service”, which can be found on their website (Terms Of Service, 2010). This document outlines certain types of video which are deemed not suitable for YouTube. One is “pornography or sexually explicit content”, which Blurred Lines has been seen to come under. News articles quickly surfaced questioning how the video was allowed to be uploaded. YouTube quickly reacted, acted on their Terms of Service and took the video off the site (Gizmodo, 2013). The music video has now been replaced by a similar version where the models are wearing flesh coloured bras (RobinThickeVEVO, 2013). The argument could be made whether this could still be deemed as pornography, as the models are still dressed in very sexually suggestive underwear. The popular music video website Vevo still carries the unrated version on it’s site, as their Terms of Service differs to that of YouTube. Vevo, owned by a partnership of Sony, Universal and Abu Dhbai media, have a Terms of Service which allows explicit content as long as a “clean” version is offered as well (Learmouth, 2010). This provides a good comparison between how people have taken to the controversial content of the video. Currently the Explicit version has had 467,673 views on Vevo, where the Clean version has attracted 11,372,317 views (Thicke, 2013). However, this includes traffic on YouTube where the Clean version exists but the Explicit version does not. This still suggests that the use of nudity within the video doesn’t improve the video, or make it anymore popular.
Blurred Lines is Robin Thicke’s latest release from a music career which stretches back to 2003, when Thicke wrote his first album, A Beautiful World. His previous material is much more tame than that what is seen in Blurred Lines. In the music video of his highest charting hit so far, Lost Without U, he is seen being endearing and loving towards the female protagonist. The use of words like “love” and the title line “lost without you” shows that this version of Thicke respects women and realises that there’s a deeper connection with them as opposed to viewing them as solely sexual objects (Thicke, 2006). This is also shown by the woman character in the music video wearing much more stylish clothing (RobinThickeVEVO, 2009). With this sudden change of style in content and material, the inclusion or nudity could be seen as a publicity stunt.
The music video for Blurred Lines clearly sets out a hierarchy where the men are above the women. This reflects on modern-day stereotypes, where the men do the hard work and the women are there to supplement them. This is shown by the men doing all the singing and the women doing nothing but dancing and looking attractive. By performing the song within the scene, Vernallis (2004) suggests that the viewer is encouraged to participate in the narrative more than if the video was a word for word enactment. However the need for them to be nude in order to fulfil this can be argued against. This is shown by the fact that the unrated and rated versions of the video hardly differ in terms of effectiveness in illustrating the point posed by the song.
In this music video, the men, represented by Robin Thicke, Pharrel and T.I., are symbolised as being superior by being fully dressed, compared to the females who have their breasts on show. The men are dressed in stylish, expensive clothing with the females wearing a plain nude coloured thong. This places the females in an oppressed position underneath the males. Simone de Beauvoir (1949) believes clothing and appearance are an objectifying factor in a woman’s life. Clothing can be seen to give a person their character and, by taking that away from someone, can regress them into a generic being. Laura Mulvey (1989) suggests that “the female body has become industrialised” and that the female must use clothing and make-up for a look of femininity and visability in a sexist society. This is enhanced by the video being set against a nude coloured background. This makes the models blend into the background to become part of the backdrop, thus reducing their individuality. This overall male dominance over the female means the controlling gaze is male. Viewers are forced to view the video from the perspective of the male, lusting after the female. In Laura Mulvey’s article “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1999) she suggests that male gaze is the main argument with feminism in film. This can also carry over to music videos, as they can be seen as short films.
The females position within the video and song is further depreciated by the association of them and farm animals. Through the gaze, the viewer sees the women alongside the animals and other farmyard paraphernalia, such as hay bails and banjos. This is coupled with the use of the word “domesticate” within the lyrics, a word that is often used when referring to animals and pets. Also at 0:43, one of the models mouths the word “meow”, a word linked with cats. This connection means the viewer perceives the females as subordinates and as equals with the farm animals. There are aspects within the video which also illustrates this connection include one of the models being on all fours, this has sexual connotations from it being the same posture as a sexual position. Twice when the models are in this positions they have other items upon their body. On one occasion there is a stop sign on her, this . On another occasion, she has a toy sports car rolling down her arched back. This is another example of the gaze theory. The female is associated with the car, which is a desirable object, thus making both desirable to the viewer.
Other points in the video which suggest the male’s sexual control over females include where Robin Thicke blows smoke into the face of one of the models. This is seen as Thicke opposing his authority over the female by forcing something unpleasant on her. This is also shown when Thicke chases one of the females with a novelty sized syringe, the pursuit and the intent to inject is Thicke again placing himself above the female in the hierarchy. The placement of the needle up against the females behind can also have sexual connotations with the insertion of an object into a woman.
The fetishisation of feet is portrayed at multiple time throughout the video. Foot fetishes are normally seen as one worshipping another’s foot by “caressing, sucking and/or licking them” (Bancroft, 2008). However towards the end of the video, Thicke is seen using a foot as a microphone. This can be seen as the male not worshipping, but objectifying the foot as an object, specifically a microphone. By doing this, it reduces the woman to an object which Thicke can use and play with. Also, Robin Thicke is seen being softly slapped in the face by the same foot. This might be portrayed as the female shunning Thicke. But the case is probably that this is an erotic playful slap, which Thicke wants and enjoys. This is highlighted by the fact that the foot is coming from beneath Thicke, therefore he is still on top.
At first glance, the use of nudity within a video can be seen as a celebration of a female’s body. However, coupled with Robin Thicke’s lyrics, use of nudity can only be seen as an objectification of females. Through the many sexual connotations, Robin Thicke is seen as a man who sees a female’s primary purpose as being a provider of sex and to be a servant to the male.
Reference List:
Bancroft, J. (2008) Human Sexuality and its Problems. Churchill Livingstone.
Beauvoir, Simone de. (1949) Abstract: In The Second Sex.
Gizmodo (2013) Robin Thicke: Blurred Lines. Available at: http://gizmodo.com/5992670/robin-thicke-blurred-lines-nsfw-nsfw-nsfw (Accessed: 5 May 2013).
Learmouth, M (2010) Google Supports Censorship On Vevo So It Can Sell More Ads. Available at: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-01-22/tech/30081138_1_ratings-system-music-service-umg (Accessed: 5 May 2013).
Mulvey, L. (1989) Visual and Other Pleasures. MacMillan Press.
Mulvey, L. (1999) Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. New York: Oxford University Press.
RobinThickeVEVO (2009) Robin Thicke – Lost Without You. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DdCoNbbRvQ (Accessed: 5 May 2013).
RobinThickeVEVO (2013) Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines ft. T.I., Pharrell. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU (Accessed: 1 May 2013).
Terms Of Service (2010) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/static?gl=GB&template=terms (Accessed: 3 May 2013).
Thicke, R. (2006) Lost Without U. Interscope Records.
Thicke, R. (2013) Blurred Lines (Unrated Version). Available at: http://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines-unrated-version/USUV71300526 (Accessed: 1 May 2013).
Vernallis, C. (2004) Experiencing Music Video: Aesthetics and Cultural Content. Columbia University Press.
YouTube Traffic Statistics (no date) Available at: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/youtube.com (Accessed: 5 May 2013).
Marx Vs. Robin Thicke
Over the past few decades, the music video industry has had fluctuating levels of success, with a large television based presence emerging in the early 1980’s, a decline in the early new millennium and now a large online expansion with the developments of sites such as YouTube and Vevo. Despite being such a popular form of entertainment media, music videos, in the pop world videos are often faced with much criticism, often to do with the objectification of women and unrealistic portrayals of modern culture. It is possible to analyse some of these videos with varying social theories in mind. The rise of the culture industries in general and the commodification of arts such as music is a phenomenon highly criticised by Marxist theorist, Theodor Adorno. It is also possible to examine the content of music videos such as Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines through a Marxist and Gramscian perspective to determine the relative class and social issues that may arise.
The rise of the music video as we know it today can be mainly attributed to the birth of MTV in 1981. Artists were able to submit their videos to be played on the 24 hour a day music platform (Luckerson, 2013). Until the end of the last century, this platform was booming, attracting around 800,000 viewers a day. However, although cable T.V. platforms began rapidly losing viewers, the growth of online sites such as YouTube and Vevo was attracting more and more viewers. With the immediate success of OK Go’s video for Here it Goes Again which gained 800,000 views in 24 hours, and in excess of 20 million over the following year, YouTube’s importance to the industry was becoming more obvious and record labels began to recognise how useful this site could be for gaining profits. In a Time Magazine article, Danny Lockwood, Senior Vice President, Creative and Video Production at Capitol Music Group, stated that “we’re actually producing more videos these days,” and that “the viewing of videos online has really shifted the financial paradigm”(Luckerson, 2013). Videos which once would have possibly had productions budgets of close to half a million dollars are not being produced on a fraction of the cost, yet with the ease of the web platform, they are reaching so many more viewers, and with the added features of paid advertising revenue and YouTube’s content ID system, the average cost per thousand views has reached more than $30 per viewer, and these videos bring in a great deal of revenue for both the labels and the artists they manage (Luckerson, 2013).
Robin Thicke’s music video for Blurred Lines featuring T.I. and Pharell has quite a simple premise featuring the three male artists dressed in expensive looking suits, singing and rapping about a female character that they are lusting after. The video also features three, cheerful, playful and very scantily clad young women. These women are dressed in nothing but a nude coloured thong for the majority of the video. Some scenes within the video feature one of the female characters carrying a goat, and others feature another bare breasted girl pressed up against a fully dressed Robin Thicke. The scenes are set against a plain, yet flesh coloured backdrop which seems to emphasise the sense of raw nudity in this video. The lyrics that accompany this video are just as misogynistic as the visuals that accompany them. There are almost constant sexual references, some more subtle than others (Thicke, 2013).
The images seen in Blurred Lines are extreme, yet not uncommon in the media today, with female artists such as Beyonce in her bejeweled corsets, or the sexualised female figures featured in the videos of male artists such as 2Chainz and Lil Wayne. These images of scantily clad women parading around have undoubtedly become the norm, and viewers are accustomed to seeing them. Unfortunately this may also mean that women who see these images on a constant basis throughout the mass media accept that it is the norm for them to be the playthings of men. With the current rise in music video availability and popularity these images are more frequently being made available to the masses. By taking a Gramscian approach to the phenomenon, it could be said that the acceptance of this widespread status quo aids in maintaining the social divide between men and women. If women accept this portrayal of themselves to be what is expected of them, then they won’t see the need to make a change and rebel against the male position of power.
It is felt by some, specifically theorist Theodor Adorno, that the formation of “the culture industries” is the industrialization of art and culture for the purpose of gaining capital. He claimed that through the viewing of mass media, such as music videos readily available on YouTube, the masses are manipulated to become complacent and content (Adorno, 1975). These ideas suggest that with so much content being produced, there is little variation and the viewers who view this media simply accept what they are being given without expecting or asking for more. “Capitalist production so confines them, body and soul, that they fall helpless victims to what is offered them” (Laughley, 2007). The consumers of this generic media, and more specifically the quick and cheap music churned out by the music industry, do not dislike what they are receiving, on the contrary, they enjoy it, take pleasure in it even. If the aforementioned ideas of Gramsci are combined with Adorno’s concepts of industrialization and public contentment then it is logical to assume that the masses and the divided classes are unaware of how the mass media culture keeps them complacent, and that because they have become accustomed to the norm of society, they accept it, and when it comes to popular music and pop culture, they also enjoy it (Adorno, 1975).
Classic Marxism seeks to explain how the ruling classes maintain power over the rest of society through a dominating class structure. Feminist Marxists like to take this concept and dig a little deeper, since most Marxist theory doesn’t discuss the role of women in society beyond their roles at home being a part of the creation and maintenance of the new workforce for. It has been said that the most basic and fundamental type of social class division, beyond the ideas of ruling and working classes, is that between men and women, it has even been said that “the motive force of history is that striving of men for power and domination over women”(Vogel, 1983). Videos such as Robin Thicke’s and many others like it that promote these highly sexualised images of men dominating women aid in the public consensus that this patriarchal concept remains a normal one in today’s society. “Marxist feminists challenged historical and class related issues surrounding the workplace, identifying ways in which family structures were underpinned by capitalist ideology. Questions were raised as to why certain groups (ethnic minorities, the working classes, women) were marginalised in their access to the production and consumption of knowledge and culture, and why they were not represented within for example, the hierarchies of science and arts” (Whitely, 2000).
Women are more often than not characterized as the submissive within society. In Cowling and Reynolds book Marxism, the Millennium and Beyond, Sylvia Walby discusses how modern society is “a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women”(2000). Walby identifies within society structures that “have casual effects upon each other, both reinforcing and blocking, but they are relatively autonomous”. These structures consist of; the state, paid work, household production, sexuality, cultural institutions and male violence. All of these structures that can act either independently or in combination with one another, strengthen the presence of male domination in our society (2000).
These ideas are reinforced by the creation of the images present in Blurred Lines. Within this video, the images even go as far as to represent women alongside farmyard imagery. One girl walks around almost naked, yet carrying a goat. There are also bales of hay present in the otherwise scarce scene of the video. These images almost scream male domination and that women are considered to be objects or animals that men can possess and control. Friedrich Engels, a theorist who worked alongside Marx, and helped him to develop his theories, did actually take into account that women were a possession and a tool. His writings state that “within the family the husband was the owner, the wife the means of production, the children the labour; and that reproduction of the human species was an important economic system distinct from the means of production” (The Dialectic of Sex, no date).
The music industry is a thriving one, despite threats at the turn of the century. New videos surface nearly everyday featuring the latest sensational pop culture act. It often comes as no surprise to the modern viewer that these videos may feature barely clothed women, or images that imply, subtle or otherwise, male domination. The question remains; does this booming industry sector shamelessly promote these images and ideals to the visual consumers of today as mere entertainment or as a subliminal aid in the creation of complacently divided social classes that accept these facts and images as the norm?
Adorno, T. (1975) Culture Industry Reconsidered. Available at: http://www.sfu.ca/~andrewf/Culture_industry_reconsidered.shtml (Accessed: 3 May, 2013).
Adorno, T. and Bernstein, J. M. (2001) The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture. New York: Routledge.
Cowling, M. and Reynolds, P. (2000) Marxism, the Millennium and Beyond. New York: Palgrave.
Laughey, Dan (2007) Key Themes in Media Theory. England: Open University Press.
Luckerson, V. (2013) TIME. Available at: http://business.time.com/2013/04/02/internet-saved-the-video-star-how-music-videos-found-new-life-after-mtv/ (Accessed: 3 May 2013).
Morris, W. (2012) Marxist Approach to Music Videos. [Online presentation]. 13 July.
Thicke, R. (2013) Blurred Lines. Available at: http://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines-unrated-version/USUV71300526?source=instantsearch (Accessed: May 3, 2013).
The Dialectic of Sex (no date). Available at: http://www.marxists.org/subject/women/authors/firestone-shulamith/dialectic-sex.htm (Accessed: 3 Ma, 2013).
Vogel, L. (1983) Marxism and the Opression of Women Towards a Unitary Theory. USA: Rutgers, The State University.
Whitely, S. (2000) Women and Popular Culture. London, New York: Routledge.
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