Robin Thicke continues to ride the wave. The R&B singer's No. 1 single "Blurred Lines" has catapulted his career to new heights. The simple tune, reminiscent of an Al Green classic with a dash of modern flavor, has helped fuel its success, however, the music video is what got the track off the ground and gave it the legs to survive. Of course, as it is with many unforgettable music videos, the "Blurred Lines" video has caught the attention of critics who claim that it's distasteful and misogynistic. The explicit version does feature topless women dancing around the performers, but there are always two sides to the argument. Now, in a recent interview with Grantland, director Diane Martel put in her own two cents.
"I wanted to deal with the misogynist, funny lyrics in a way where the girls were going to overpower the men," Martel said. "Look at Emily Ratajkowski's performance; it's very, very funny and subtly ridiculing. That's what is fresh to me. It also forces the men to feel playful and not at all like predators. I directed the girls to look into the camera, this is very intentional and they do it most of the time; they are in the power position. I don't think the video is sexist. The lyrics are ridiculous, the guys are silly as f***. That said, I respect women who are watching out for negative images in pop culture and who find the nudity offensive, but I find [the video] meta and playful."
Thicke surprisingly admits that the video is playfully sexist in its own way, but claims that that's the intention and shouldn't be viewed negatively.
"We tried to do everything that was taboo," Thicke said. "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."
"People say, 'Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?' I'm like, 'Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I've never gotten to do that before. I've always respected women.' So we just wanted to turn it over on its head and make people go, 'Women and their bodies are beautiful. Men are always going to want to follow them around.'"
Thicke's newest album, Blurred Lines, will hit store on July 30. Fans are curious as to what else the singer can deliver. Is he just riding the "Blurred Lines" wave, or does he have some staying power?
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