A model who starred in the 'Blurred Lines' music video has opened up about how the atmosphere changed after Robin Thicke allegedly groped Emily Ratajkowski.
It's been a decade since the release of the controversial hit, which became one of the best-selling singles ever, while also being accused of glorifying misogyny and sexual violence.
The track came back under scrutiny in 2021 when model Ratajkowski claimed in her book My Body that singer Thicke had molested her during the shooting of the video.
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"Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt the coolness and foreignness of a stranger’s hands cupping my bare breasts from behind," Ratajkowski wrote.
"I instinctively moved away, looking back at Robin Thicke."
She continued: "With that one gesture, Robin Thicke had reminded everyone on set that we women weren't actually in charge.
"I didn't have any real power as the naked girl dancing around in his music video. I was nothing more than the hired mannequin."
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Ratajkowski said she had been enjoying filming, but Thicke allegedly became drunk and began acting increasingly rude.
The 31-year-old wrote: "He smiled a goofy grin and stumbled backward, his eyes concealed behind his sunglasses. My head turned to the darkness beyond the set.
"[The director, Diane Martel's] voice cracked as she yelled out to me, 'Are you okay?'
"I pushed my chin forward and shrugged, avoiding eye contact, feeling the heat of humiliation pump through my body. I didn't react - not really, not like I should have."
Martel subsequently corroborated her account.
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According to The Times, Martel said: "I remember the moment that he grabbed her breasts. One in each hand.
"He was standing behind her as they were both in profile. I screamed in my very aggressive Brooklyn voice, 'What the f*** are you doing, that's it!! The shoot is over!!'"
Now, model Elle Evans has shared her account of the alleged incident, and while she didn't see what happened herself, she does remember how the atmosphere shifted.
In an interview with Bustle, she said: "All the stuff with Emily and Robin there together, that was a closed set. So they had no one else watching.
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"What I remember is that, toward the end of the shoot, Emily did leave very abruptly.
"There was kind of a bit of a scramble among the production team, like, 'What are we gonna do? How do we shoot the rest of the video without her?' I was told that she had a flight to catch."
Elle went on to speak about the advice she and her fellow models received ahead of shooting from director Martel, who apparently urged them not to be 'too sexy'.
"I remember Diane shouting, like, 'That's too sexy. Don't be too sexy. This is not the club, you know. This is not a lap dance'," she recalled.
Since the first allegations were made nearly two years ago, Thicke has not addressed them publicly.
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LADbible has reached out to Thicke's representatives for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Music, Emily Ratajkowski
Jake Massey