I've been thinking about this now since Mr Thicke has had his massive summer hit(s)...

Robin started out a little over a decade ago looking like the cute dorky hippie guy next door. While he had somewhat of a hit with his bicykle the album wasn't a big success and Robin seemed to disappear as quickly as he appeared.

A few years later Thicke returns. With a total makeover. The long haired guy in jeans had turned into a dapper ladies' man in a suit. It took me a long while to realize that this actually was the same guy who bicykled through New York. He performed flirting with the audience and playing on his newly-found (?) sex appeal. Looking as sexy as his romantic music he managed to gain attention and sell his music. A very popular name among the adult R&B crowd. But still no household name.

This time around he switched it up a notch. More uptempo, more "hip", more macho à la scantily clad (or totally naked) women and "big d***"-talk. And suddenly he has a HUGE summer hit and is talked about in the mainstream media like never before.

___

Would you say that this success now, despite all the complaints, stems from his new playful macho approach? Does not only sex, but also sexISM sell?

VenusBlingBling said:

OP, the Illuminati would like you to not remind the robots of the real Robin Thicke.

TeeeeHaaaaHoooo said:

VenusBlingBling said:

OP, the Illuminati would like you to not remind the robots of the real Robin Thicke.

I still kinda see Robin as that guy. Like a cute nerd trying to act cool.

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[Edited 8/30/13 3:01am]

Funny how Robin released alot of great music in the past.....excellent singles like "Magic" and "Dreamworld"...and the world didn't pay much attention.But now that's he getting all nasty,singing about the size of his sex organ (lol),and having nude women in his videos...he's suddenly the hottest thing in pop music.

I guess it's true what they say....sex sells

VenusBlingBling said:

Would you say that this success now, despite all the complaints, stems from his new playful macho approach? Does not only sex, but also sexISM sell?

Yes, I essentially buy that, VBB. Whether or not it 'stems' from the macho thing per se, it certainly makes it easier to succeed if you fit an 'acceptable' mould from the mainstream; in this case, a sort of macho, sexually dominant figure, surrounded - in classic chauvinist style - by submissive, fawning, available nymphets. It's actually quite weird for people like me, who'd never really paid much attention to his career up to this point, to see the 'before' shots where he has his long hair and an urban hipster bike, since it seems that there he's putting across a quite different (and far more likeable - to me, anyway) form of masculinity.

I wonder which 'skin' he himself feels more comfortable in. I found his stud-isms a bit unconvincing in the Blurred Lines video, tbh. Partly that's because he didn't seem like much of a mover - which may be one reason why he was drawn to Got To Give It Up, but that's another story!

omg...u figured out the biggest mystery in the world....sex sells. whodafuckinthunk?

is it surprising that the housing, food, and sex industries r the biggest in the world? they are the three absolute necessities in the survival of the human species. the three necessities that only addiction can surmount.

A lot of artists do this.

Tori Amos started out in a rock band, Fergie was in an all-girl group, and Darius Rucker (Hootie) is now a country act. Those aren't exactly examples of "sex sells" but you see that artists change to what works for them.

Take Justin Timberlake for example. He had a blonde mop top and Ambercrombie clothes in NSync, but now he's all black suits, ties and vests. He found a look that works for him (artistically and financially) and he's sticking with it. (Notice the similarities to Robin Thicke).

Miley Cyrus is another really recent example of sex sells. She went from a safe TV image and country sound to a harsh grown up look (trying to be sexy) and R&B sound. This might prove to be a rare case where sex does NOT sell.

BobGeorge909 said:

omg...u figured out the biggest mystery in the world....sex sells. whodafuckinthunk?

Well, we all know that. My question was rather whether it's not only nudity etc, but also stereotyping and playing the age old game of "I'm the aggressive macho man and you're the passive naked woman serving me" that has people loving this whole thing. Like people still want to see that, even though they pretend not to.

VenusBlingBling said:

well that is at the root of most sex and gender roles. sure they expanded some necause of allowances for natural variation...but whats the name of that song? "the song remains the same"...the arrangement may get mucked with, but the same writer will appear on every release under the spindle hole. (M. Nature).

a thousand years from niw, the same sexual gender role discussions will be happening, and (M. Nature) will be seen in the same spot.