Music videos have gained popularity since MTV started. People like to see their preferred singer film an amazing video and gain popularity and awards. Today, singers have immeasurable influence over people. Unfortunately, most singers exploit the female figure in their music videos and songs, turning them into sex objects.
As a result, women have lost the respect of society through the images the advertisement industries portrayed, as an insatiable sexual animal that is there to fulfill the sexual desires of the man. Consumers of the music industry look at these videos and do not notice how outrageous and disrespectful it is. In reality, music videos do not depict what the woman is feeling, rather, they depict what the man is feeling for her, which is in the majority of cases: lust and desire. What they erroneously portrayed is how a woman appears to enjoy being used. Although not every music video is like this. In pop, rap and hip hop genres the disrespect for women is blatant.
A representative example of this problem is the song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and American singer and producer Pharrell. A censored and uncensored version of the song was produced. In the uncensored video, the women appear showing their breasts and wearing only a g-string that is the same color of their skin.
In the video the three appear to be flirting with three models and using them as sexual slaves. Furthermore, they mock their silhouettes as they walk flirtatiously. Tricia Romano of the “The Daily Beast” suggested that the song and the video encourage the rape culture, by pointing the title of the song: ‘Blurred Lines’ and the song’s line: “I know you want it” meaning that “even though you say no, deep down you know you want it.”
There are also other lines of the song where the rape culture is encouraged, “you are an animal it is in your nature”, and finally the worst: “Tried to domesticate you”. They are clearly treating women as sexual trash.
Those who criticized this music video claimed that the women felt offended and degraded to the point of feeling angry towards the singers, producers and even the song itself.
According to Tricia Romano, the song incites misogyny, the hatred towards women and girls, which is the reason why they are humiliating them and their dignity as a woman. The singers responded by saying: “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. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.’”
With this type of music videos, parents can ask the question to themselves: To what are my children exposed? Miley Cyrus in the VMAs of this year gave a horrifying show to the public and the world. She “twerked,” a modern type of dance that is denigrating and disrespectful for the woman that is performing it, to Robert Thicke that was singing the song “Blurred Lines” to the public. This performance was the most discussed topic in the history of the social media. It seems as if twerking and the rape culture can go hand-in-hand and the value of respect does not exist.
There are many misconceptions caused by music videos. Girls and boys grow up thinking erroneously what is correct and what society seems to accept. As part of a society where moral values are present, citizens should take a moment to reflect what is really happening in the popular industries and how they are damaging the mind and attitude of both genders.
Consciousness campaigns should be recognized in schools and colleges, where the future of our nations are. What is sad about it is the fact that people enjoy this type of entertainment in the music videos and, seeing Thicke use a woman as a stand or an object makes it difficult to assimilate the damage they are doing.