In case you missed it, Maroon 5's newest music video ("Animals") is a little...well...creepy. And sexual assault groups are voicing their outrage.
The video features lead singer Adam Levine stalking an incredibly beautiful woman, who happens to be Levine's real-life wife/Victoria's Secret super model, Behati Prinsloo. And by stalking, we mean he's following her, taking photos of her and sliding into her bed while she's sleeping in just her underwear and T-shirt.
Not to mention, Levine looks absolutely crazy as he hangs out in a butcher shop, covered in blood and croons to the camera:
Baby, I'm preying on you tonight
Hunt you down eat you alive
Just like animals
Animals
Like animals.
"Maroon 5’s video for Animals is a dangerous depiction of a stalker’s fantasy - and no one should ever confuse the criminal act of stalking with romance," said The Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) VP of Communications to The Daily Mail. "The trivialization of these serious crimes, like stalking, should have no place in the entertainment industry."
And the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) said Levine treats Prinsloo like "a piece of meat."
"The lyrics to Maroon 5’s 'Animals' convey aggressive, intrusive behavior and paint women as prey," said NSVRC in a statement. "While many will chalk this up to being 'just a music video,' it’s still harmful because it reinforces stereotypes of male dominance and sexual entitlement, which we know have real-life consequences."
With so many reports of domestic violence and sexual assault in the media these days, it baffles our minds that Maroon 5 would put out a video that clearly depicts stalking and attempts to portray "preying" on women as edgy or cool. Listen up, guys: it's not.
"I’m sure Levine and his bandmates think they’ve done something edgy here," writes Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti, "but there is nothing 'alternative' about showing women being stalked, hunted, raped or killed because it’s something that happens every damn day."
No word yet on Levine and Maroon 5's response to all of the criticism.
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