Would you want to marry this man?

                                         Would you want to marry this man?

 

            Musician and actor Robin Thinke has been in the music business since he was 17 years old. He has released seven albums in the span of his twenty year long career and has produced and written hit songs for stars such as Christina Aguilera, Usher, Michael Jackson, Marc Anthony, Raven Simone, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne. Still, despite all his time spent in the entertainment industry, Thicke did not break through as a solo artist until just two years ago when his song Blurred Lines became an international hit. The song launched him to superstardom almost overnight with its catchy sound and the appearance of two already established stars, Pharrel and T.I and stayed at Number 1on the Billboards Top 100 for over 10 weeks.

As Blurred Lines became a hit many began to question the context of the song’s lyrics which state things such as “I know you want it” along with other phrases that have been associated with rape and unwanted sexual attention towards women. Soon the music video for the song was released causing suspicions about the songs rape-like manner to become cries of outrage over the way the video treated women. The video in question was criticized for portraying Thicke, Pharrel, and T.I. dancing around and degrading three topless models, which in an interview Robin Thicke admitted too doing. The song eventually caused him to be named “Sexist of the Year” and he faced multiple attacks online from many people outraged by the sexism and promotion of violence against women in Thicke’s song.

Soon after the controversy over Blurred Lines Robin Thicke’s wife Paula filed for divorce after 8 years only to have Thicke dedicate and entire album to her and violated her privacy by making multiple public statements professing his love for her. Most recently Thicke has come under fire for plagiarizing his Number 1 hit song from Marvin Gaye, taking credit for Blurred Lines despite not actually writing it, and admitting to substance and drug abuse which he would take before interviews. Though Robin Thicke after years of working as a musician finally gained the potential to be a star, the controversy surrounding him have caused what many are considering a “downward spiral”.  In the course of a year he has been labeled as both unprofessional and disrespectful and has become a figurehead for misogyny because of his actions.