Slut Shaming vs. Cultural Critique

[Content note: Discussions of rape culture and slut shaming]

I have stayed intentionally silent on the whole Robin Thicke Blurred Lines nonsense because it's one of the few artifacts of rape culture that, I think, has actually received the proper backlash it deserves. But someone recently passed this article my way, in which a self described feminist defends the song and says that its detractors are essentially slut shaming...and goes as far as to say that the song is more feminist than the critique it has received.

Sigh.



That post reminded me of a moment where I had to check myself recently too. I was making one of my occasional forays over to the pop side of my satellite radio dial and I heard the songs Rosana by Wax and Cowgirl by Stephen Wesley back-to-back. I don't think I've ever felt more old or prudish than when I heard these songs and experienced the ensuring "KIDS THESE DAYS!" reaction stirred in me. (I mean, seriously, those lyrics read like street harassment.)

But then I immediately felt guilty for being appalled by sexual language.

But THEN I reminded myself something...there is a huge difference between women actually expressing and celebrating their sexuality for themselves and men objectifying women through their work.

I am someone who will go to bat to the bitter end for the first case. That's why I'm such an unapologetically outspoken Rihanna defender. I will champion women owning their sexuality and pleasure and talking (singing!) about that in very public ways. But when it is men who are driving the conversation (as they have been since the dawn of the media) I will pick it apart, discuss it, and ask what messages it is sending about sexuality, gender roles, etc. And for the record, slut shaming, as a concept, is not even something men experience. When women are deemed sluts for having multiple sexual partners, men are deemed studs and players and congratulated.

There isn't an actual woman in Rosana or Cowgirl who is expressing her desire--it's dudes singing about what they want a woman to do or to do to a woman. So to call that objectifying or problematic or even disgusting isn't slut shaming anyone...it's just taking a critical eye to the same old garbage that men are peddling us.

That's what others have done with Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, which is not only objectifying but also flat our rape culture. When feminists have problems with lyrics like, "I’ll give you something to tear your ass in two" we're not saying that a woman is a nasty slut because she might like anal sex, because a woman didn't say that here. A guy said it about doing it TO her.

The words of songs MUST be open for analysis. We should not mindlessly consume any media and this is especially true when it is so plainly evident that the lyrics in question are using the same language as actual rapists. Chilling. And to be clear, I'm not necessarily saying that we should censor things like this...I don't know that's the solution. But I am saying that when you make something like this, you have to expect that people can (and should!) analyze the message sent.

And speak out against them when they're so clearly concerning.

So when I read items like article linked above where the author thinks that feminists are wrong to call out Robin Thicke lest we be slut shamers, three things happen
1) I want to laugh forever
2) I feel like the author's suffering from a case of "But I like it therefore it is feminist" and
3) I think that there's just been some big confusion between slut shaming and cultural critique.



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