Let’s switch fields and talk a little bit about Miley Cyrus. Miley was raised by Disney, in an industry that tried to put her into a box. She grew up being, and constantly portraying, her innocent and sweet character of Hannah Montana. However, Hannah Montana was just that — a character. She now has been able to grow up, shape her own image, and follow her passions (as opposed to some script handed to her to keep audiences happy and money flowing). In response to her blossoming into individualism, listeners and viewers have completely labeled Cyrus as some promiscuous, insane, and overly sexualized being. Why are we so frightened by the new boldness that is Miley Cyrus? The answer is because it is her choice. She is in control of her sexuality. She is in control of her body. She is radiating confidence, as opposed to being a submissive female who lets herself be dominated by men. Her music video for ‘Wrecking Ball’ features Cyrus nude. This raised some serious issues with stunned viewers thinking, “what happened to my daughter’s role model?” Nobody seems to raise issue with the fact that many big-name male stars have featured female nudity in their videos. The difference? The men are in control. Society is terrified by a woman in charge.

It is very odd to me how Americans live in a puritanical country that has set everything up to be “moral”, but then turns around and sells everything with sex. Then, when somebody expresses that, everybody once again becomes moral, and absurdly judgmental. So, tell me, what do you really want America? Do you want sexy? Do you want a nun? Pick one, because you can’t have it both ways. We are a confused country who has never accepted human sexuality in a natural and accepting way. We are constantly trying to “clean things up”, when in reality, the only dirt that exists is in our minds.

Even better, let’s delve into Cyrus’ 2013 VMA performance. While paired with Robin Thicke on stage, Cyrus was somehow the only one criticized for her so-called vulgarity. ‘Blurred Lines’ was an instant hit, that played on an endless loop for weeks and weeks. Thicke performed this song at the VMAS with absolutely no question about it — but, have you listened to these lyrics? This song clearly addresses what Thicke assumes to be a grey area between consent and assault. This song is being broadcasted to an incredibly vulnerable age group — and this is the message? That consent is a blurred line? It most certainly is not.

An article recently published compares Thicke’s lyrics to phrases that many women who have been sexually victimized have heard before:

I know you want it. You’re a good girl. You’re a dirty little angel. We both know you don’t really mean it when you say no. It would be over faster if you stopped struggling. You said no, but your body told me yes. It’s supposed to hurt. I can’t enjoy it if you keep crying. It wasn’t rape — you were being such a tease. You can’t have a drink with someone and expect this not to happen. Stop pretending that you are a human being. Thank you for making me feel like a man.

Calling an adult a “good girl” in this context resonates with the the classically used ‘virgin/whore’ dichotomy. The implication in Blurred Lines is that because the woman is not responding to a man’s sexual advances, which of course are irresistible, she’s hiding her true sexual desire under a facade of disinterest. Thicke is singing about forcing a woman to perform both the good girl and bad girl roles in order to satisfy the man’s desires.

Another huge implication seen throughout the song is victim-blaming. Of course, if a woman dances with a man, it means she wants to sleep with him. And obviously, if she wears a short skirt or tight dress, she’s asking for it. Wrong. A dance, a smile, a drink, an outfit — does not indicate consent.

Ultimately, Thicke’s “rape anthem” is about male desire and male dominance over a woman. The rigid definition of masculinity makes the man unable to accept the idea that sometimes his advances are not welcome. Thus, instead of treating a woman like a human being and respecting her subjectivity, she is degraded to the role of a living sex doll whose existence is nothing, if not for the pleasure of a man.