Before watching the film, I knew nothing about Madonna other than the fact that she has undergone a number of transformations, explaining the longevity of her career. I remember seeing defining moments of her career such as the controversial act in her show in which she is "crucified", the Britney-kiss moment, and her roles in A League of Their Own and Evita, yet I have not intentionally sought information about "her Madgesty". After seeing the film this week, I cannot say that I know much more about Madonna than I did going into the screening, but I can say that I have walked out with a much greater appreciation for her self-proclaimed "artistic creativity".
After reading Bell's article, I now see a number of racial issues that Madonna represents, yet I must say that while watching the film, the thing that stuck out most was the power she possesses, which Bell only begins to discuss towards the end of the article. I'm uncertain as to whether or not her crotch rubbing represents black masculinity as much as it represents liberation, female liberation to be specific. I see most of her moves as an expression of power as even the police force in Texas cannot keep her from censoring herself. I see her desire of "motherhood" towards her crew as another outcome of her desire for power. I see this desire for power as the reason she can be lent to other races because in pursuit of this power, one must first be powerless. As a woman, she must overcome the masculine dominated hegemony, yet by lending herself to cultures of African American women she constructs even more of a challenge.
One thing I do want to discuss is the alignment other stars make with Madonna. For a while, when Britney was on top of the game, she shared a moment with Madonna on an MTV stage that will not soon be forgotten. They then released a single together, and it is even reported that Britney asked Madonna to be the Godmother of her first child, in which Madonna turned down (too bad Brit didn't get to see this film in which Madonna said no to her friend in the same predicament). Now, with Justin Timberlake on top of the game, Madonna has released a single with him, and their public outings has been the topic of blogs and magazines for weeks. It seems as if once you reach a certain level of stardom, it only makes sense to pair up with Madonna. Yet, it seems that once that is complete, there may be no other direction to go. While Madonna is able to constantly recycle her image, Britney fell from grace. It will be interesting to see where Justin goes after this collaboration.
We've discussed star transformation a number of times throughout the semester, and while I'm uncertain of each of Madonna's representations as I don't follow her religiously, I do know that just recently, with the release of her latest album, the Madonna frenzy has escalated. She is currently appearing on a number of magazine covers, and her latest single with Justin Timberlake is already at the top of the charts. The insane amount of coverage this woman receives just proves the appeal remains!
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