Robin Thicke Blurred Lines

In the song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, there is a particular verse in which Robin says “I know you want it but you're a good girl, the way you grab me you must want to get nasty, go ahead get at me…” These few lines in his song begin to depict how a woman’s sexual desire plays into her identity. Thicke illustrates how a woman could be labeled “good” or “bad” depending on how she chooses to act upon her sexual needs. A “good” girl is one that would not pounce upon her sexual desires, and instead she would come off as morally oriented; this girl would act as if her libido is nonexistent. In contrast, a “bad” girl does act on her sexual pleasure and chooses to acknowledge what she wants and what will satisfy her most sexually aligned needs.

As highlighted in this song, American society feels the need to police women’s sexual desires and silence them, only until they are associated with fulfilling a man’s libido. Throughout adolescence, the social construction of desire molds a woman’s expected behavior. This normalized behavior is then carried into adulthood. A woman who seeks out to focus her attention and energy into her own sexual desire, is considered a taboo within this western notion. The chains placed on women’s desire is due to the heteronormative environment that we live in. This idea of policing women is not only viewed within western society but, transnationally as well. Women are open to criticism due to the expression of their sexuality (Shah). Women are influenced to believe that complying to a man in any shape or form is the societal norm, even when we are talking about something as intimate as their own erotic