With so much pedophilia on the Internet, it seems strange that one of the most popular artists in the world, Pharrell Williams, would embrace the theme. Yet that seems to be what he’s done with his video “It Girl,” which features what appears to be very young cartoon girls. The recognizably Japanese anime characters were created by the Japanese art production company Kaikai Kiki, no stranger in its work to “lolicon”– a phrase that comes from “Lolita complex” and which describes an erotic obsession with pre-pubescent girls. Hitflix calls the video creepy saying that Pharrell’s interacting with “jailbait bikini girls.” At Bustle, Kristie Rohwedder writes, “I realize it’s just a cartoon, but I can’t ignore the animated skeevy-ness.” One anime blogger wrote: “I have to give kudos to Pharrell for the anime theme, even though the little girls sorta generate more hate from the general audience,” asking, “Pharrell are you a lolicon or something?”
In the video the cartoon girls are spied on by a cartoon Pharrell (with binoculars!) as they gambol on the shore. Pharell sings “Hold my hand, and moan again, I’ma hold that ass.” It’s a long way from “Happy,” Pharrell’s ubiquitous 2013 megahit.
