Blurred Lines: Where Yes Means No
Jamie Huo
11/21/13
First draft
Blurred Lines: Where No Means Yes In a society where rape culture is beginning to seem so normative, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke reveals how rape culture is imbedded in our society through our collective beliefs and has rendered sexual violence as acceptable and ordinary. The song has a catchy beat and is fun to sing along with, however, the meaning behind the lyrics go far deeper than most people think. This paper examines Blurred Lines to claim that the song perpetuates rape culture in America because the song implies that consent is a blurred line. Consent by definition is permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. In the context of the song, and our society, it is not an absence of a no, but a presence of a yes from victim. The lyrics in the song are misogynistic because they address what sounds like a grey area between consensual sex and assault. I will put certain lines from the song in real-life context by showing through an online photo essay exhibit called “Project Unbreakable” how offensive and inconsiderate these lyrics can be. This project features men and women holding signs with sentences that their rapists said before, during, or after the assault. Rape culture is omnipresent throughout the nation, and is utterly repulsive. First, the catchy phrase, “I know you want it” (Thicke) in the chorus does not stand out very much at first since the song itself is already so promiscuous. However, it is a phrase that many sexual adult survivors report as what their rapists say to justify their actions. The lyrics imply that for one, the male is dominant and seems to be using force, and also, that the woman might not have given her consent to this man. In one of the unbreakable testimonials from the project, a person was holding a sign that said “You know you want it. Come on, give in to pleasure…” (Pacific Standard) Such a saying suggests that the rapist believes that they know what the victim
11/21/13
First draft
Blurred Lines: Where No Means Yes In a society where rape culture is beginning to seem so normative, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke reveals how rape culture is imbedded in our society through our collective beliefs and has rendered sexual violence as acceptable and ordinary. The song has a catchy beat and is fun to sing along with, however, the meaning behind the lyrics go far deeper than most people think. This paper examines Blurred Lines to claim that the song perpetuates rape culture in America because the song implies that consent is a blurred line. Consent by definition is permission for something to happen or agreement to do something. In the context of the song, and our society, it is not an absence of a no, but a presence of a yes from victim. The lyrics in the song are misogynistic because they address what sounds like a grey area between consensual sex and assault. I will put certain lines from the song in real-life context by showing through an online photo essay exhibit called “Project Unbreakable” how offensive and inconsiderate these lyrics can be. This project features men and women holding signs with sentences that their rapists said before, during, or after the assault. Rape culture is omnipresent throughout the nation, and is utterly repulsive. First, the catchy phrase, “I know you want it” (Thicke) in the chorus does not stand out very much at first since the song itself is already so promiscuous. However, it is a phrase that many sexual adult survivors report as what their rapists say to justify their actions. The lyrics imply that for one, the male is dominant and seems to be using force, and also, that the woman might not have given her consent to this man. In one of the unbreakable testimonials from the project, a person was holding a sign that said “You know you want it. Come on, give in to pleasure…” (Pacific Standard) Such a saying suggests that the rapist believes that they know what the victim