Last year, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” earned flak for implicitly condoning rape. Carrying on in this ever-creepy tradition, last week saw the release of Maroon 5’s new music video for their song, “Animals.” In it Adam Levine, allegedly People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive, plays the part of a butcher. When not hugging carcasses in a metal storeroom, Levine is seen stalking an unsuspecting woman, played by his wife, Behati Prinsoo. He even goes so far as to break into the woman’s apartment to take photographs of her as she sleeps and lies next to her in bed. Later, after she rejects him in a nightclub, Levine’s butcher fantasizes about having sex with the woman in a shower of blood.
Not surprisingly, the video has stirred up quite a ruckus. According to the Huffington Post, the anti-sexual assault group RAINN has slammed the video, claiming, “The trivialization of these serious crimes, like stalking, should have no place in the entertainment industry (Marcus).” What I found particularly interesting however, was that when I asked my friends what they thought about the video, there appeared a clear demarcation between what my guy and girl friends thought. The guys agreed that the video was disturbing in its depiction of stalking as a “normal” thing to do—one friend even called it psychopathic—but most agreed that it was pretty standard stuff. In other words, it was on par with most other music videos.
My female friends and I disagreed. We ripped the video apart for its representation of stalking, lack of consent, demeaning depiction of male and female sexuality, and brutish lyrics (“Baby, I’m preying on you tonight / Hunt you down eat you alive/ Maybe you think that you can hide / I can smell your scent from miles / Just like animals”). If you want a clearer, and perhaps more disturbing, picture of the bipolar reaction this video has incited, look up the comments it’s received on YouTube. They cover the range from “weird…but oh so good,” to feminist denouncement, to misogynists who whine about the “feminist shit” that others will inevitably post.
What’s important to remember, is that the “Animals” video can have negative implications for both men and women. It paints men as animalistic predators who lack sexual self-control. Such a bleak and degrading view of male sexuality traps men in a social framework that does not, and certainly should not, hold true. Equally dangerous, is that it portrays female sexuality and consent as arbitrary and pliable. Over the past few years we’ve had, thankfully, a greater media focus on women and girls’ rights. From the shooting of Malala Yousafzai to the Steubenville trial, the problems facing women, at home and abroad, are finally coming into the forefront. Despite this, problems continue to occur. In September alone, Senator Kristen Gillibrand revealed that she had experienced sexual harassment from fellow U.S. senators, and a mass nude photo leak showed the lack of privacy allotted to female public figures. An overarching lack of respect for women is blatantly showcased in both of these examples. “Animals” only adds to the chauvinism and creates culture that can often appear hostile to women. This undermines the progress that feminists may make in fighting for gender equality, but underscores the most obvious and unjust aspect in the relationship between men and women: that we live in this world together.
Source: Marcus, Stephanie. “Maroon 5’s ‘Animals’ Video Slammed By Sexual Assault Support Group.” Huffington Post. N.p., 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2014. <