Back at the time, censure was seen as a limit of expression and representation. In America, the censorship began in the 1850’s. Censure means relatively the same things cross country but with differences in its interpretation, it is a formal expression of disapproval. Every message send through a “risqué” interpretation were censure and delate for the public. In the United States of America, each state had its own court of censure. Its regulation changed over the last century with the end of the code in 1968.

Nowadays, censure has less restrictions, however it still exists. The statement of censure stays relatively the same and reprimand violent, racist, sexist and intolerance of religion content. The censure is mostly aimed to protect the more vulnerable such as women and children. In 1968 to 1970 the CARA system was established to determine the content of film. Television and music had and still have their own system of avoidance. Music has the Parental Advisory introduced by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1985 to warn about explicit content. However, the interpretation of censure still depends on where we are and what is our culture and beliefs. 

The musical clip video Blurred Lines interpreted by Robin Thicke is a good example to illustrate and question the censure at modern times. It has been censured in 2013 for explicit and nudity content. Robin Thick created a new musical video the same year, still available on YouTube, with girls who wear clothes this time. The question is why YouTube censured the original clip of Blurred Lines for nudity while we know that women are often sexualized in books, cinema, and music and not mandatory censured?

 

 

    The place of woman in visual culture always been subject to changes and critics. During 1940’s, a new type of cinema emerged, the Film Noir. The most intriguing character was the Femme Fatal. At this time, women were represented as a sexual, powerful, and mysterious figure. In his video clip of Blurred lines, Robin Thick used this aspect of women. Indeed, the lyrics explains a comparison between women and animals. This song describes the woman as a wild character who does not belong to anyone. Several film, gave this aspect of character to their actresses as in the movie Laura (1944) which romanticized the femme fatal or in the movie The postman always ring twice (1946) where the woman’s role is more insidious by the fact she is cheating on her husband, and she is organizing a murder. However, neither of theses both movies were censured under the Production Code of Authority by Joseph Breen due to their subtlety in the films production. It was the beginning of movies which are lead my women. Over the time, cinema continue to be lead in a feminist way such with Kill Bill (2003) where Uma Thurman interpreted a violent and fatal woman looking for revenge. So, we can figure that Blurred lines was censured not for its aspect of women in the storytelling of the song but in its interpretation to the screen.

    The acceptation on nudity on screen began to be more tolerate when Breen retires himself from the PCA in 1954. Indeed, films became an Art and following this statement obscenity was tolerate while it was respected some values and it did not have any domestic impact. Therefore, infidelity and prostitution were still censured to conserve the good image of women. For this reason, the movie Les Amants with Jeanne Moreau in main character leaded to the question of censure in the State of Ohio for showing infidelity. However, the movie was not censured because it was not judged that obscene by the Supreme court. When we think of the Blurred lines musical video it is not question of infidelity or prostitution, however, the video leads to idea of prostitution because of naked women. It would mean that nudity is nowadays automatically rely on prostitution. However, all depend on context, in the movie Pretty woman (1990) Julia Roberts embodies the role of a prostitute who fall in love with a businessman and the movie never knew the question of censure. 

    Nowadays, the question of censure then stands on the context and the interpretation. Blurred lines shocked the internet by its explicit content close of what we called dirty content in 1950’s. Indeed, through his song Robin Thicke evokes explicit discussion about sex which may generate several connotations about prostitutions as trough the lines “you the hottest bitch in this place”. Nonetheless, communities and media fight for the freedom of expression. This is why Blurred lines was censured for its visual content and not for its lyrics. However, the “hard-core” content was more tolerate in the 1960’s with the acceptation of pornography in 1969 under the laps test approval able to control the subtlety of movies and their erotica part. In the context when we can compare Blurred lines to the movie White slaves of Chinatown released in 1964, their common point would be the sexploitation used in both visuals. Indeed, women are badly sexualized in the video clip of Robin Thicke because of their nudity and their attitude face to man who, we can say, see them as objects.

 

    To conclude, the musical video of 2013 bothers people because of women “sexploitation”. Indeed, women were engaged to be beautiful, naked, and played a close relationship with men. This behavior shocked because of the recent feminist’s movement. The look we have on women change through time. Women are nowadays more often represented as a femme fatal than a submissive woman. So, censure evolved with the regulations imposed but also with its time and with the values imposed by a society.

 

 

Written by Olympia Dairaine - Grimaux