What happens when the gender roles are reversed in Robin Thicke's smash hit Blurred Lines? Thanks to a parody by the Seattle-based "boylesque troupe" (whatever that is) Mod Carousel, we now have a rough idea, and it proved an interesting experiment.
According to an article in the Huffington Post, Caela Bailey, Sydni Devereux and Dalisha Phillips recreated the vocals of Thicke, Pharrell and T.I. respectively, while Carousel's members pranced around like walking sex toys.
According to director Diane Martel, Thicke's video was supposed to depict virtually nude models "subtly ridiculing" the men, thereby putting them in a position of power. However, many felt the video did little to detract from lyrics that objectified women and blurred the lines of what comprises consensual sexual attention.
In fact, Mod Carousel's own video was borne out of such concerns with the original:
"It's our opinion that most attempts to show female objectification in the media by swapping the genders serve more to ridicule the male body than to highlight the extent to which women get objectified and does everyone a disservice."
The result feels markedly different than the original. More playful and overtly camp, the edgy sexiness is all but lost thanks to some silly props (horsey, anyone?) and the fun vibe adopted by strong female vocalists.
What do you think of Mod's version? Does the role reversal cause you to view the original any differently?
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