Nutzman |1

Robert Nutzman
English 2700/Kilpatrick
Final Paper
May 2, 2016
Good Feminist, Bad Feminst?
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said Every man must decide whether he will walk in the
light of creative altruism or in the darkness of selfishness. Todays young American male is
overwhelmed by the media that portrays his place in American culture as one of excess and
lustfulness. Often times this leads to dreams of grandeur of wealth, womanizing and the ability
to create ones own rules.
This paper will take a feminist look at one hip-hop song that has garnered a lot of
attention in the last few years Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke. The two theorist that will be the
basis for this paper are Laura Mulvey and Joan Morgan. Within the text of Laura Mulveys
Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, and Joan Morgans book When Chickenheads Come
Home to Roost is a map of how Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke is not just a catchy song. It is
a full blown attack on the rights of women.
Laura Mulvey is a British Film Theorist and author of Visual Pleasure and Narrative
Cinema. Published in 1975 the essay focuses on how the media is always focusing on the
male-gaze. The male gaze refers to a lens that heterosexual, mostly white men view the
world through. It encourages men to look at women as objects, and with constant lust. Laura
Mulvey also describes that the media we consume reinforces our subconscious desires.

Nutzman |2

Mulveys idea is that Hollywood promotes these concepts heavily, and is constantly playing off
of males sexual desires. Laura Mulvey goes onto explain how Hollywoods sexuality is almost
inescapable because it is everywhere.
Joan Morgan is an American author who grew up in the South Bronx. Morgan is the
author of the book When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost. The book delves into the
contradictions of being a feminist and enjoying hip-hop music and certain perks of the
patriarchal system such as: not paying for dinner, having the door held open for you, etc. Her
goal with her book was how to focus on balancing and reconciling with these seemingly
conflicting ideologies.

In her book she explains how growing up with hip-hop music has set

her on this path and while she doesnt seem to be in full condemnation of how women are
portrayed within the hip-hop community specifically, she does attempt to bring to light the
damage it can do to the feminist movement.
Blurred Lines from the album Blurred Lines written and performed by recording
artist Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams, and was originally recorded in 2012. It was
however released in March 26th of 2013. Blurred Lines has been controversial due to its lyrics
which seem to promote taking advantage of women. The video in which two versions were
released does little to slant the argument in the other direction. The edited version contained
scantily dressed women (if they were dressed at all) running around doing abstract things with
props. The other version; the unedited version, shows the same women completely naked doing
similar activities.
Blurred Lines was met with mostly positive reviews in regards to the music but was
slammed by many others for the videos content. Tricia Romano of The Daily Beast criticized
the message that was being sent out by the lyrics saying that it trivialized sexual consent.

Nutzman |3

Many other critics thought that it promoted rape culture. This was in response to one line in
particular of the song I know you want it. Which is insinuating that even if the woman says no;
she is doing so to seem proper but is actually very interested.
Blurred Lines is a prime example of what Laura Mulvey was trying to describe with
the male gaze. The song itself has what some in the media have called a rapey message to it.
It talks about how even if the woman is not interested they actually truly are. Mulvey talks about
this in Visual Pleasure and Narrative, and how the media is reinforcing what our subconscious
desires. This is how Hollywood influences men by playing off their sexual desires; even if the
content is not being presented in such a way.
Joan Morgan looks at this in a slightly different facet. She recognizes that these lyrics are
stimuli and sexist, and does nothing to forward womens rights. Yet, she is caught in the middle
of doing what she thinks is right and her cultural upbringing. Joan Morgan mentions that she is
in full support of feminism but enjoys certain aspects of the patriarchal culture that is all around
her. Morgan goes on to explain how she enjoys having the door held open or being desired by
men. Therefore Morgan is caught between a rock (being feminism) and a hard place (her
cultural beliefs).
So how exactly do these two fit into the scale on how to approach a subject like the song
Blurred Lines? I believe that these two theorist are simply a sign of the different times they
grew up in. When Laura Mulvey first authored her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative
Cinema in the 1970s there was a serious push for equality for woman. That if women did not
stand up for themselves in a public way they would not be able to overcome the obstacles that
are in front of the feminist movement.

Nutzman |4

Joan Morgan comes from a generation of women that did not make their struggle as
public as Laura Mulveys generation did. However, by reading through Morgans book When
Chickenheads come home to roost it is clear to see that she does recognize the wrong message a
song like Blurred Lines promotes. While Joan Morgan fully admits to enjoying the music and
global recognition that hip-hop has brought she does struggle with some of the messages that
hip-hop artist and Hollywood promote.
The question posed here is Can a woman be a true feminist with other women in her
best interest and still enjoy the music that diminishes the value of women? I believe that the
answer to that is no.
Laura Mulvey would argue that the answer is unequivocally, no. In her essay Visual
Pleasure and Narrative Cinema she describes a system that is set up to encourage men to look
at women in a possessive way. This would make a song like Blurred Lines almost impossible
to bring into a positive light. That is because the song is so heavily focused on the male gaze;
especially within the video, it would and should not be promoted or enjoyed by women who are
serious about the feminist movement.
Joan Morgan may look at Robin Thickes song in a similar light. However, with her
cultural upbringing and love for up-beat music she may find it more difficult to completely
condemn such racy song. This song plays to one of her enjoyments she receives from this
patriarchal culture. In her book When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost she openly tells the
reader that she enjoys being desired by men and it adds to her self-esteem. However, she also
mentions the issues with men assuming that they can have what they want. Because she isnt
completely repulsed by them they take that as an opportunity to peruse less dignified intentions.
This for her is an incredibly disturbing aspect of a music genre such as hip-hop. I believe she

Nutzman |5

attempts to reconcile with her mixed feelings by being an outspoken woman who makes her
intentions and her boundaries very clear with the men she interacts with.
I believe that if Joan Morgan and Laura Mulvey were able to have a sit down today it
would be a heated and possibly contentious meeting. By comparing works by both authors it is
clear to see that they stand on two very different sides of the feminist movement. Blurred
Lines would have been looked at by Mulvey as just another song that subjugates women to the
animalist urges that Hollywood pushes down the throats of men. While Joan Morgan would
have a difficult time arguing this point, but because of her own personal beliefs I believe that the
catchy music would possibly diminish some of those stronger feelings of disgust.
I believe in regards to the original question Can a woman be a true feminist with other
women in her best interest and still enjoy the music that diminishes the value of women? That
the answer would be no. You see this with many young women in our culture today. The desired
to be looked at as equals to their male counterparts, but often times overlooking and underacknowledging of the misogyny within popular culture. This cannot be acceptable if young
women wish to play a bigger role in the direction of our culture. Laura Mulvey in my opinion
hits the nail on the head when she was talking about the male gaze. That if any real change is
to come in the entertainment medium or anything else women must shun music such as Blurred
Lines even if it is catchy and popular. The issues that I believe will continue to plague the
feminist movement is the lack of solidarity, and only when leaders in the field can come together
will there be a clear path for the modern day feminist to establish herself as a prominent figure
within the global culture.

Nutzman |6

Work Cited Page

Morgan,Joan. When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: My life as a Hip-Hop Feminist. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. Print
Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative. Feminisms(1975):438+.Web.
Thicke, Robin. Blurred Lines. Blurred Lines. 2013. Star Track Interscope. Music.