This is a critical review of the article “ How to Fashion an Archetype: Madonna as Anima Figure” written by F. Jose Blanco, published on the 19th January 2015. As the title of the article indicates, the article is focused on Madonna and her influence on fashion, which the author connects her to psychologist Carl Jung’s Anima Archetype. Madonna Ciccone, the “Queen of Pop” is known as an important and leading fashion figure in the pop culture with her unique and outstanding outfits. Madonna not only uses fashion as a signifier to communicate different personae, or the disguise or appearance that a person represents to the world. But she is also the creator of various personae throughout her career “virgin, boy-toy, whore, material girl, pregnant …show more content…
Eve as a figure of desire, Helen as the classical beauty who inspires men to great deeds, Mary as the virtuous mother and at last, Sophia as the figure of wisdom and enlightenment. In Jungian analysis, the anima archetype is the collective unconscious image of the female, which is also said as universal and permanent, but Madonna challenges the original meaning of it by recreating her own anima. Throughout Madonna’s career, her use of fashion as a persona progresses as she encounters different transformation in her life. I chose this article for review because Madonna is a good representation of how dress and identity relates to each other, she is different from other pop singers by using fashion to communicate and convey various messages and meanings to people instead of only with the use of lyrics, she also dare to use her body and fashion to challenge social norms such as feminism, masculinity, gender relations, morality, multiculturalism, racism, pornography and capitalism in the society. She recreated the anima archetype which is she has total control …show more content…
Madonna also presents Eve’s figure in a dual presentation: the angel-like virgin and the seductive sinner, in 1984, when Madonna promote her album Like a Virgin, she dressed as a bride with white silk wedding dress, push up bra, fish net stockings and a belt that said “boy toy” on it, which she argues that she’s not labeling herself as “boy toy”, but instead she have the ability to own a “boy toy”. In 1986, Madonna’s video for Open Your Heart she wore a pointy-tasseled bra with short platinum hair and dark eyebrows, the outfit resembles the darker aspect of Eve, which is the femme fatale, “a description usually associated with women who use sex to exert power” (1159). Madonna brought tight bustiers, revealing corsets and the era of the underwear as outwear at The Blonde Ambition period of the 1990s, which the archetype of Eve transform to “the woman who inappropriately dares to reveal her unmentionables, what Nathan Joseph calls the final buffer between the public layers of clothing and the privacy of the nude” (1158). Even after ten years later, Madonna still presents the femme fatale in her performances, “The female fatale is perhaps the most enduring of all images used by Madonna”
According to the book entitled Ways of Seeing written by John Berger, the power of an image is extraordinary given that it can speak a thousand words. This has also been enhanced by the rapidly evolving technology that elicits more subconscious views about an image by anyone who sees them online or in real life. Some professional writers like Susan Bordo have emphasized that pictures of men often receive a wide range of negative tones or opinions due to the physiological effects that are fashionable to society or any other individual who approves or disapproves the beauty in a portrait of two men or women (Berger 38). This essay offers my opinion concerning the pictures of the Doloce and Gabbana, the gay Italian designers, as well as that of
The depiction of Madonna and Christ is among the most ancient and common in Christian iconography and has an extensive number of variations because apart from its symbolic religious functions, it allows one to interpret the link between mother and child in many aspects. (8)
8. Tilton, K. N. J. ed. (1997) Contexts of Dialectic: Constructivism in the works of Madonna. University of Oregon Press
Kim Addonizio gives stereotypes a whole new meaning by closely looking into the most typical clichés there are. Out of the many clichés, she touches the lust for that one tight; flimsy, cheap, revealing dress. These clichés' scorn women for wanting to wear a dress that may be too revealing looks cheap or looks “too” tight. Many women are subjected to this stereotype because it “typically” doesn’t conform to others’ opinions. She mentions this in her poem by saying “ I want a red dress./I want it flimsy and cheap,/I want it too tight, I want to wear it/until someone tears it off of me.” (1-4). Addonizio
Throughout his portrayals of the Madonna, Raphael seems to strive to create a lifelike image that would actually personify the Virgin to the viewer, rather than to put her out of reach by describing her as an object and not a human being. Most of his Madonnas are a...
Madonna of the Meadow vs. Venus of Urbino While both the Madonna of the Meadow and Venus of Urbino are spectacular works of art, each differs and is similar in many ways. At first glance, Titian’s Venus of Urbino catches your eye because of the gold tones that Titian incorporated into his painting. Titian’s painting also has a shine to it, that Raphael’s painting does not. Raphael’s painting uses softer hues that play well with his incorporation of infants and the softness and subtle idea of the meadow. Nudity is an aspect that can be noted in both paintings, yet a sense of class is still associated with the painting as well.
8. d'Erlette, F. A. I. (1992) Semanticist pretextual theory in the works of Madonna. University of Oregon Press
The second wave of feminism starting in the late 1960s presented new ways of thinking about female rights and roles and gave greater attention to the issues affecting the various groups of women in the feminist movement. One of the essential topics that rose was the debate over female sexuality. From this point on efforts were made for changes in how women were expected to express their sexuality, which was controlled and adapted to the standards of men . These changes were also seen in the music area of which women sought to control their own representation and agency. Women began to challenge any models forced upon them based on preceding gender norms and traditions, and began to express their own identities according to their own comforts . The shift from traditional industry to the new media age in the 1990’s was a period of rapid transformation regarding female representations, of which females have claimed the freedom of expression through music, mainly seen through the sexual appearance of the female body. Nevertheless this achievement has been debated over most predominantly between liberal and radical feminists. This Essay will discuss the distinct views of radical and liberal feminists regarding the development of women’s freedom of expression and opportunities over time. Liberal feminists believe that women are in control of their own sexuality and have the right to express it in any way they choose. In contrast, radical feminists believe that female artists who expose their body in a sexual way and believe they have full control over themselves, are actually still trying to satisfy their predominantly male audience, therefore giving them control . To exemplify the different views on female development over time this es...
... 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.
The image has a huge effect in society. A celebrity’s image can characterize, shape and circulate societal myths in Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, and model. People think her figure and beauty make her become a popular icon and sex symbol in the 1950s. When people talk about the name of Marilyn Monroe, a blonde beautiful sexy female's image will appear in people's minds. What has the beauty standard shown us through Marilyn Monroe in the mid-20th century? Besides the beauty what other things did she need in order for her to be famous at that time? Marilyn Monroe's status as a sex symbol has influenced many artists since her time, even though the beauty standard has been different since then. If we look at the celebrities today, we can find many imitators of Marilyn Monroe: Madonna, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and even Lady Gaga. They do this not only because of marketing and media needs, but also because people today still “worship” the image Monroe created. A half-century has passed since Marilyn Monroe's death, so why is she still relevant today? As time has passed, Marilyn Monroe's image is becoming even more meaningful and valuable. Think about the image she has created, the main point I want to study is: how does a woman who passed away at thirty-six years old, after starring in only a handful of movies, has such on the impact on women, especially young women, in the 21st century? To find the answer of how she has an impact on young women today will also show how some of the young celebrities today became successful.
The future of women’s fashion is uncertain—in that shock value is harder to come by with each passing year. There is a concept in fashion that nothing is new, everything has been done before. This theory is coming closer to obvious reality, as fashion shows of recent years have visual throwbacks as late as the Victorian era. Although the direction is not yet decided, it is almost definite that women will use fashion as an important tool for expression and freedom in the future.
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.
Fashion plays an important role in the lives of billions all over the world; people, as part of a status craving society, turn to “fashion capitals” of the world for ways in which to dress and carry themselves. New York, Milan, and Paris are leaders among this fierce industry that the world lusts after. Fashion can speak volumes about ones personality, or also about the condition the world is in at the time. In France, fashion changed rapidly and feverously as the times changed.
Music is an inspirational outlet that can be used to convey a message to other people who relate to that message. Music can become even stronger when the person who is performing it is an inspirational source as well. For the past 30 years Madonna has become a well-known artist, actress, and role model to the people who support her. All artists know that they are only number one until someone else comes along and replaces them with more intriguing work to offer. Lady Gaga has been said to be the new Madonna of our generation and is quite often compared to her in many ways by her musical and styling choices. They both share similarities such as their musical genre, style, feminine empowerment, and their support towards the gay community. Their differences can also be seen in those same fields as well.