I'm going to be talking abut some music videos I really have a problem with, why these particular videos stand out and what I think they represent about the music video industry as a whole. These videos are "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus.
The reason I'm talking about these two videos specifically is due to three reviews I've recently watched by two fantastic reviewers. Although I admire these reviewers immensely, and I respect their opinions, I want to expand upon some problems they mention, or confront some defences they provide for them. For context and entertainment, I recommend that before reading this review you watch Todd in the Shadows Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke review and "We Can't Stop" vs. "Come and Get it" video. On top of these, I also plan on discussing issues picked up in Mues' Billboard Top 20 Summer 2013 Review (which, I'm afraid, does autoplay).
As you may notice, the Todd and Mues videos present, for the two topical videos, somewhat opposing views. I'm going to be perfectly upfront here and say that I side with Todd on both of these, but I think I may differ slightly.
The first issue I want to talk about is sex in music videos. Now, sex in music is inevitable. Sex is part of life (or, well, so other people tell me) and as music, for the most part, is designed to tell stories of life (or, for the more cynical, appeal to the widest possible audience) and will inevitably feature sex. What I'm about to say goes against a lot of what I believe. I don't believe in sheltering children from the world or denying free speech or anything like that, but here goes.
Charting music videos should be censored for nudity. I don't mean black bars, I mean if the music video isn't kid friendly from the get go, it doesn't get TV airplay between 9 and 9.
This seems harsh, and kind of stupid doesn't it? On one hand, what do music videos care about TV, when the Internet is the main source of viewership/revenue? TV is an important media for letting the wider public learn about the music videos, and this creates more Internet views. Also, unless your video is already very successful, there's next to no chance someone will happen to view it. The Internet excels at getting people to what they want. If people don't know they want, there aren't many ways they'll come across this mythical video.
Whether this reasoning seems sound to you or not, I'm still probably either coming off as a Helen Lovejoy-esque "Won't someone think of the children?!" type or otherwise just very conservative. I swear that in the majority of issues of any nature, I'm damn left-leaning. Music videos are... different. Especially on TV. In Canberra (and probably most of Australia. I don't know how varied we are) there is only one pop music show, an that runs from 10 until 1 on Saturday mornings. Although it is rated PG, it clearly is targeting the pre-teen and young teen demographic. I don't just think this. This show, "Bump TV", has a twitter feed onscreen, showing pictures of the twits tweeting. The vast majority of those appearing are (barely-literate) and are very young, mainly girls. I also have two young nieces (13ish and 10ish? Thank God I don't write this with my real name) who drink this genre up like sponges.
My problem isn't just with nudity. Let's finally get to the videos I said I'd focus on and how they portray sexuality. I'm not claiming I know what the right way to look at sexuality is, but the joy of criticism is I'm not expected to. In Blurred Lines, the women are objectified in every possible manner. Let's start with the Haislip Dead-eyes. These women are not happy to be here. This isn't a cheeky group of people flirting. The men, fully dressed, are clearly in a position of power which allows them to ogle and judge the women. The women, depending on the rating of the video you see, are either skimpily dressed for the most part or just plain topless. They aren't even cute about it. Here are some tits, viewing audience. Enjoy. This is not the sort of thing I want to think of young teenagers viewing as how people interacting in a sexual sense. Let me state my bias here - I'm a 19 year old bloke, single and the opposite of sexually active. This is coming from a young man, who really has no investment in these videos. I barely watch them. But this said, I don't want to think of people only a few years younger than me seeing this as anything other that revolting. I'm a straight guy, and I don't even find the topless version of the video erotic. It's just sad, for everyone involved. Thicke and his poker buddies don't look "cool", they look like they the biggest arseholes in the video. Not in a lovable rascal way, more in a "3 charges of human trafficking" way.
I will return on another issue in a moment, but lets look at Miley Cyrus. This is sort of the opposite. This is the kind of video I don't want to think of young girls watching. The worst part is how Cyrus does it herself. She is clearly running around in whatever that outfit is called attempting to look sexy. She is trying to look like a big girl. It isn't working. I understand she wants to change how she is seen by the media, but it's not working. I'm going to tell a sightly off topic story.
In 2009, a woman named Kellie Crawford, who up until that point had been a host of the children's TV show "Hi-5" posed on an adult magazine in lingerie. She said that this was her way of shaking off her children's show host reputation and helping "find the woman within". Naturally, there was outcry that this was completely inappropriate for an actress with a fan-base amongst children to do. "A Current Affair"did the usual media circus, and either ended up blaming immigrants or the "dole-bludgers" (their high-class journalism does so astound me). In the end, I don't think Mrs. Crawford's career really went anywhere, but I'm glad she did something that made her reclaim her sense of self.
The claims that this was sending a "negative message to young girls" is bullshit (especially compared to Miley Cyrus) for three reasons. 1. This was a completely different medium. I grew up with Hi-5, and I would not have thought that the woman in the lingerie had any association with Kellie on the show (although the magazine cover did advertise this, which was a prick move). Cyrus just went from kid friendly music to not-kid friendly music. It's still on a Saturday morning, and her godawful haircut does not disguise the fact that it is indeed Disney Miley slapping her arse at the audience (if you haven't seen the video, that's not me being condescending - she actually does that). 2. Crawford was taking pride in her body. I saw the pics. They are just some lingerie. Nothing racy, really. I would not be surprised if some people I knew had worn that kind of thing at one point or another. It's something you could buy in an underwear shop or online. It's classy, but sexy. Cyrus is just trying to rub herself against any object she can find. It's really sad, and her costume is clearly not something she would have brought herself or would wear any other time in her life. 3. Crawford isn't exactly sending terrible messages to girls. Thee children in Crawford's fanbase were much younger than Miley's, comparing 6 to 15. One has a much larger ability to purchase their own belongings and spend more time among only their peers. Also, why would a six year old care what someone called Kellie Crawford is doing? It's not like that's Kellie from Hi-5, necessarily. The only recognition would be visual, and if you can't keep your kids away from adult magazines, what a former children's entertainer is doing is not a core concern for you. Cyrus, without missing a beat has gone from Disney to over-sexual in just two songs, as "Can't be Tamed" was in a similar sense.
I'm going to try to tie this up, as I have way too many essays to be writing. I don't think that sex has no place in music. Not by any means. I also don't think sex or nudity should have no place in music videos. I just want to see a realistic depiction of sexuality provided for a very impressionable age bracket. Perhaps the problem is that pop music relies on individual personalities too much. Charting musicians are always just portrayed as every-people expressing their experiences through song (bar Daft Punk, who are never portrayed as people) . Kids can understandably assume that the celebrities outside of music videos (although they are hardly role-models either, considering Beiber and Anne Frank) are exactly the same people in music videos and Miley Cyrus does take a few hours out of her busy schedule to have groups of people smack her on the arse, or that Robin Thicke and his friends like hanging out while topless women vie for their attention. I'm not saying it's a conscious link in kids minds, but you can surely see where I'm coming from.
Sex can be used in music videos to good affect. It creates imagery, and imagery can be important for conveying emotion. Look at Open by Rhye. Sex and nudity used for an absolutely perfect song. I say this to prove I'm not some prude, or someone who wants the 1950's all over again. I just want to see a medium I enjoy given the treatment it deserves. I mean that those creating music need to have some restraint both for their own sakes and so that other can take it more seriously. I've recently been watching a lot of Extra Credits. I find video games fascinating even if I don't really play that many, and these guys always talk about bringing their medium forward as an artistic media. I'd like to see this happen with a new media, but look at music. It's as old as time itself. Why is it that when I think of "popular music"nowadays, this is the trash I'm given. One reviewer (and I can't remember who, but their name will be edited in here when I do) said that reviewing to him was like going around and slapping products from people's hands and saying "No, don't settle for that, they can do better."
I suppose that's what I want to leave you with, reader. Have strong opinions. If you love Cyrus or Thicke, do that. You don't have to tell me that, but there's space in the comments for you to do so. If you think that The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan or Ben Folds are over-rated or you just don't like them, don't let irrational arguments convince you. "Well everyone else likes it" or "But it's the #th best selling # of all time!" are not convincing arguments. I know I've travelled off track a bit, but I spend a solid portion of my life watching reviews and reviewing or commenting on things myself. It is easy to convince yourself that you are right and that everyone else is completely wrong, and just because someone seems impassioned in their ideas doesn't mean that they're right.
Bennet the Sage hates Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." I love it. Todd in the Shadows loves Daft Punk. I don't get them, and think they're really repetitive. Marc Mues likes "Blurred Lines"by Robin Thicke. I really, really don't. Paw Dugan doesn't really like Wolfmother's second album. I really like it. Tori Amos is on Nash Bozard's Desert Island Soundtrack. I cannot see the appeal. The Rap Critic likes American rap music, for the most part. I have...difficulty appreciating it. Finally, Ben Folds, who I call my favourite musician of all time likes Kesha (dollar sign omitted). I despise all of her work. I just would like to point out that even if you admire the opinion of a great artist, no matter if their medium is music or comedic Internet review, you need to hold your own opinion of what they discuss. You cannot afford to just absorb and assume their ideas. Sure, use them as launching pads. Sure, if it's not a medium you're interested in experiencing first hand, don't bother. But with music, especially, we need a range of opinions.
I'm sorry I got sidetracked there. I've just spent too long reading Youtube comments for this review and I wanted to say something a little cheerier that how I'm feeling. My God, I did not know there were that many ways of misspelling "faggot".
You're feedback is more than welcome, especially if you endured my review with a completely contrary opinion.
H. Rourke
P.S. - 4 Things
1. If you have the time or inspiration, mute the video to "We Can't Stop" and put The Raconteurs' "Top Yourself" on over it. It was only a coincidence the first time, but my God it works.
2. If anyone at Youtube reads this,here's some advice: Get rid of the "Time Watched" function. I slept better not knowing that humanity hes invested 769 years in viewing terrible Miley Cyrus music.
3. I realised upon re-watching that a comment Todd made about Blurred Lines in his twitter didn't make it to the video. The the line:
"Tried to domesticate you, but you're an animal."
Todd observed: "Well, what else can you domesticate?"
I just felt like passing that along.
4. After pointing out how I didn't like American rap, I must now actually refer people to one. A great song about how sexuality in music can influence young people is Lupe Fiasco's "Bad Bitch". If the name is, understandably, too much, please at least skim the lyrics here.
There. Hasta luego.
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