The piece I chose was “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell & T.I. This was a one-hit wonder, as Thicke was only ever known for this song. Pharrell and T.I. went on to produce and create other music that became somewhat popular. Interestingly enough, this song falls under “contemporary R&B” as well as pop, something I didn’t even know.  This song is about “a woman in a nightclub who may or may not be interested in the guy.” It was released in 2013 and it was one of the most controversial songs at the time of its release. This time period actually falls under fourth-wave feminism which includes movements like the “#Metoo” movement as well as other movements concerning body-shaming, rape culture, and sexual harassment (for example, the Rewind&Reframe movement.) The gender role stereotyping in this song is bluntly obvious and degrading. The song aligns with the common ideal, that originated from very old-fashioned societies, that says women are more like animals, lesser than their male counter-part, and more subservient. Not only do we see this represented in music, but we see it in literature and film adaptations where women are submissive characters that are merely defined by their male counter-part and his opinions. The lyrics even say “OK now he was close, tried to domesticate you But you’re an animal, baby, it’s in your nature Just let me liberate you.” Here, he’s saying that this woman could be domesticated, just as an animal is, and then goes onto say that it’s in her nature to be a submissive, animal-like being. He also endows himself, as a male, with the power and authority to be able to liberate her; He is the one who can provide her with “freedom” although his interpretation of freedom is giving her the opportunity to pleasure him. The melody is something that I found extremely interesting as it was up-beat and happy and it makes you want to dance. The reality of the situation is that this song’s true meaning and the reactions to the song do not aligns with this happy, up-beat melody. As fourth wave feminism is in place,  the sexual objectification of women should not be promoted through music but rather combatted through bringing proper awareness to this sort of mistreatment/misjudgment of women. The music video was also extremely controversial as it featured naked models dancing around the fully-clothed men, further oversexualizing their bodies.