The stage is dark. Thousands of screaming fans wait in agonizing anticipation. Smoke crawls out from the stage, and out struts a confident blonde woman. With the spotlight focused entirely on her, the crowd erupts into deafening applause as she begins her incomparable dance routines. She is an icon. She is Madonna. History has never seen a cultural figure with as much controversy or flair for the dramatic as Madonna, nor will history ever see such a figure. Madonna’s name is recognized by everyone, as is evidenced in a survey taken of fifty people of varying ages (shown below). These facts alone are enough to engrave her name in pop culture history, but the making of an icon does not stop there. Madonna is the quintessential example of an American icon because of her revolutionary changes to both the worlds of music and fashion; her entire life, from her early childhood to her 50th birthday and beyond, has challenged the conventions of society and changed the face of the music industry forever.
On August 16, 1958, Madonna “Madge” Louise Veronica Ciccone was born the daughter of Silvio Ciccone and Madonna Fortin in Bay City, Michigan. As the third of six children, Madonna faced an uphill battle from birth for the attention of her engineer father and former dancer mother. She realized that in order to gain the attention of both her parents and those around her, she would have to exert her femininity to gain recognition. This realization went directly against her devout Catholic upbringing in which her parents reared her. Forced to attend Catholic masses and elementary schools, a huge portion of Madonna’s childhood revolved around Catholic values. Imagery from Catholicism would later become huge inspirations for some...
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...llowed Madonna to become the only global superstar with the daring accomplishment of actually being able to claim that she has, in fact, “ruled the world.” That is why Madonna is, without a doubt, an icon.
Works Cited
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“Madonna Timeline.” twoop.com. 2006. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
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Robinson, Peter. “Madonna: 50 poptastic facts.” guardian.co.uk. 15 Aug. 2008. Guardian News and Media Limited. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.
Stack, Tim. "Glee Triumphs With the Power Of Madonna." Entertainment Weekly. 7 May 2010: 10-11. Print.
The little Madonna was a bee in my bonnet; I wanted to see her again, and quite unreasonably (like a man I knew who lost a treasured walking -stick in the London Blitz and still looks hopefully in every curiosity shop in case it might turn up) I kept hoping to find her. (123)
According to many movie critics and fans, Marilyn Monroe was one of the most talented and well-known entertainers and fashion icons of the twentieth century based on her success as an actress, singer, model, and her remarkable personality. Marilyn Monroe once said, “Fame will go by, and, so long, I’ve had you, fame. If it goes by, I’ve always known it was fickle. So at least it’s something I experience, but that’s not where I live” (Marilyn Monroe 26).
8. Tilton, K. N. J. ed. (1997) Contexts of Dialectic: Constructivism in the works of Madonna. University of Oregon Press
MTV single handedly created stars, who may never have gotten the chance without the advent of music video. A prime example of this is Madonna. I dare not infer Madonna is not talented, however it is her image more than her voice that sells albums. Throughout the years we have seen Madonna in all different stages. She constantly re-invents herself. From the material girl to the material mom, Madonna has perfected the use of music video and marketing. Without MTV she may never have attained the success she enjoys.
8. d'Erlette, F. A. I. (1992) Semanticist pretextual theory in the works of Madonna. University of Oregon Press
... are flipped upside down, skies being taken down like wallpaper, these contradictions depicted. In performance art, Lady Gaga, a contemporary pop singer, also embodies the strange of Surrealism. With her outlandish costumes and ideas, she transforms her stage in a wonderland. Her stage stands for everything society rejects. Her videos and performances are engaging; viewers critically see the underlying comment behind cultural phenomena. For instance, her piece Paparazzi, she comments on society. She is the celebrity she is in real life and at the same time is questioning the conditioning of masses to worship celebrity culture. While only using a few examples, Surrealism has not strayed too far from the fine arts but has spread into all forms of art. In the digital age, the canvas on which we paint or write has widened and evolved from the time Surrealism emerged.
Morrow, William. “The Divine Mrs. V.” New York Magazine. Harper Collins Inc. 4 November 2002. 11 March 2014. Nov. 4, 2002 http://nymag.com/nymetro. Web.
In the music industry today, Marilyn Monroe’s appearance and fashion have inspired many fashion models and pop singers today. Singers like, “Lady Gaga, Madonna, and actress Lindsay Lohan pay respect to Monroe by continuing to ape her iconic looks” (James 4). Monroe’s look continued to spread because of her confidentiality she conquered when she was living her legendary life. Today “hundreds of books and magazine are published about Monroe’s life” (Knight 3). Books and magazine articles are edited and published about Monroe's life since they have a curiosity in how a poor orphan can become a big inspiration.
Wayside Madonna is an oil painting on canvas by Edith Catlin Phelps. It was painted around 1939. Painted in southern California, it is a genre painting that is part of the regionalism movement but also has a religious subject. This painting is currently part of the permanent collection at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California. Phelps's oil painting Wayside Madonna ultimately focuses on the lady in the foreground, providing a narrative about southern California culture, and places an emphasis on the need for a more American focus and style of painting that does not rely so heavily on European art.
Jacobs, Laura. "Grace Kelly's Forever Look." Vanity Fair 597 (2010): 182-194. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
Madonna is a controversial legend whose attitudes and opinions on sexuality have forced the public to take notice and change the image of females in society. Madonna believed women’s sexuality was a natural aspect of life; therefore, she dared to challenge the rules and definitions of femininity and sought to expand the meaning of it. In a male dominated world, she wanted to focus on the importance of women and let them have a voice of their own. Madonna shattered all the myths on traditional beauty standards and made her statement on sexuality and feminism, which changed how society viewed the standards of beauty. She impacted female power by encouraging sex- positivity into her music and her style. It is mainly because of Madonna that ordinary women, and women in modern entertainment have more choices and freedom which continues to influence further generations.
Despite that, Madonna and Callas’s public reputations are far apart.√ good Callas was considered a tragic woman during the height and end of her fame,; her image was of a fragile woman and she was seen as ‘mirroring in her life aspects’ (Phillip,, R,. 2008, p.175) when she performed on stage. Operatic roles within the twentieth century are mostly heart-breaking, where ‘almost all of the characters die, on stage or just off it, through suicide or murder’ (Phillip, R,. 2008, p. 175) and these characters were Callas’s speciality, giving her a feeble image. In contrast, Madonna is considered a ‘bankable image, carefully and continually constructed in an era of media globalisation’ (Nick Jones, 2008, p. 168), and greatly known as a ‘Pop Queen’ who relies on the public for her reputation by continually conforming to society styles to increase her performances, sales and reputation. √ good observation. Perhaps emphasise the fact that in comparison to Callas, Madonna can be seen as very much in control. She’s not a victim.
Madonna had always been a holy icon until the early 1980’s when the name “Madonna” developed a dual connotation. The introduction of America’s top female sex symbol Madonna created an image far opposite of the previously known hallowed one. In John Fiske’s essay “Madonna,” he depicts the singer’s character, portraying her as socially and semiotically powerful. Although his essay is currently outdated, Fiske illustrates an illusion of Madonna that Generation Xers eventually accepted and will probably never forget.
On August 16, 1958 Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in the world. Madonna is the third of six children as well as the middle child. She was somewhat “the sissy of the family” and she would often use her feminine wittiness to get her way (A&E Biography 2011). Madonna was raised in a devoted Catholic family and attended the Sacred Heart School through her academic years. Her talent for dancing enabled her to graduate high school a semester early and then attend the University of Michigan on a full dance scholarship. Madonna soon dropped out of college and moved to New York to further her dance career. In order to pay for rent, Madonna worked a string of odd jobs that include modeling nude, working at the Russian Tea Room, and performing at the American Dance Center. While working at these jobs, Madonna also began to pursue her music career by forming several bands and then deciding to go solo once she met Camille Barbone of ...
Havrilesky, Heather. “Stalking Celebrities.” Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Ed. Catherine G. Latterell. 2nd ed. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. martin’s, 2010. 446-450. Print.