In a recent interview with GQ, Pharrell Williams discussed “Blurred Lines” controversy as well as gender fluidity.
What We Know:
- Pharrell Williams sat down for with GQ for an interview and discussed his personal growth and response to Western culture’s shifting gender norms, touching on topics such as his relationship with gender fluidity in clothing.
- He said in the interview, “It started with the ‘I can pull that off’ thing. I wore a lot of Chanel, and I wore tons of Céline…When you listen to yourself and you’re comfortable in who you are, you wear what you feel like fits and looks right on you. And that’s it.” He reminds us of his boundaries stating “I can’t wear no skirt. Nor am I interested in wearing a blouse.”
- He applauds pop culture icons Lil Uzi Vert and Young Thug for their take on new wave masculinity which involves the idea of incorporating things that are traditionally considered feminine such as makeup and skirts into style and culture for men.
- After releasing his 2013 hit “Blurred Lines” many fans felt that the song was problematic because it contained lyrics that promoted rape culture. When discussing the song in with GQ he says “I didn’t get [the controversy] at first. When there started to be an issue with it, lyrically, I was, like, ‘What are you talking about?’ There are women who really like the song … And then I realized that there are men who use that same language when taking advantage of a woman, and it doesn’t matter that that’s not my behavior. … I realized that we live in a chauvinist culture in our country. Hadn’t realized that. … So that blew my mind.”
You can find the interview on GQ’s website where he also discusses spirituality, political power and the word “minority.
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Behind-the-scenes of @Pharrell’s GQ cover shoot. See all the photos at the link in bio.
