Is sexist pop glamorising rape and abuse?

It’s the No 1 hit of the summer. But Robin Thicke’s video and lyrics have been accused of glamorising rape and abuse, says Ed Power

IT is a law of pop music: nothing gets you noticed faster than a video swarming with naked ladies. That has been the experience of British r’n’b singer, Robin Thicke, who has soared to the top of the American singles charts with the provocative new song, ‘Blurred Lines’, and its flesh-filled promotional reel.

The promo, which has 50m internet hits, despite being banned from YouTube, depicts the smugly bequiffed Thicke partying alongside several giggly, under-dressed young women, with producer, Pharrell Williams, and rapper, TI, as the high-fiving wingmen.