Reading Response

Madonna: The Spectacle!

From the Cvetkovich article, I found it interesting to think about the idea of drag and then also the idea of impersonation, from Elvis. I could not stop thinking about the 1999 Video Music Awards. Check out the YouTube clip

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9kIqualuElw

The examination of Madonna's status as a drag queen icon caught my attention in particular. I found the argument presented was well thought and on target, but for me, I see the use of Madonna as a drag icon and the ways in which she blends femininity, masculinity and sexuality coming from the fact that she does not present herself as sexual from the stand point of the gaze. She is neither the looker or the one being looked at when she is performing or in the film. Her actions are more a performace for the performing rather than performing to fit a mold. She does things to be outrageous and different rather than to be sexy. The ways she dresses and acts is a mix of everything. Wearing a bustier and grabbing her crotch is femininity and masculinity in one person at one time. This mixing allows for others to find a new platform for expression, not necessarily an escape. It is a way to perform and be a spectacle of the outrageous and crazy.

Madonna is a vehicle for performance for whomever embodies her. The ways Elvis is impersonated is more about being him and channeling his persona, but for Madonna, she is an icon for outlandish behavior and freedom of expression. When drag queens become Madonna, they have a person that fits their desire to blur gender roles and social conventions.

Diego