Ugly queen and pop icon: 8 proofs that Madonna changed not only the industry but the whole world

Symbol of provocateur, rebel and pop music. Three traits that perfectly define Madonna, a singer who needs no introduction for a long time. “I pulled myself from the straps of my own bra” – this is the success story of a celebrity from her own lips. Maybe it’s better not to say. Ambitious, brave, determined – he went on his own, without bosses, without help, without the support of colleagues. Louise Ciccone has never hesitated to be herself and move on. Maybe that’s why she’s called the Queen of Pop, she.

During her 40-year career, Madonna has sold 300 million albums, earned more than a billion dollars on tours, and entered the Guinness Book of Records as the most commercially successful artist in history. He contributed greatly to the development of culture, drawing inspiration from his work and images of dozens of celebrities: from Lady Gaga to Ariana Grande.

Today, August 16, Madonna turns 64. On this occasion, we sing an ode to “His Majesty” and talk about his revolution not only in music but also in culture in general.

Taught women to be strong

Madonna promoted Girl Power long before it became a trend. “I pulled myself from the straps of my own bra,” she said in an interview, and this phrase very accurately described the path to success. When the future star lost her mother at the age of five, she became a true rebel who lived for 63 years with the motto “I don’t care and you can’t tell me what to do”. She has repeatedly stated that a girl can be ambitious and make the decisions herself. She was reprimanded for this and called a bitch, but she didn’t care.

Changed the image of women in music

Candid clips and performances of Cardi B, Lady Gaga and other divas of the music scene no longer surprise anyone. But if you think about it, this was made possible in large part thanks to Madonna. He was the one who started the fight against the double standard in the industry 40 years ago. The stage footage was boldly striking and shocking and provocative.

What is a performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards in which Madonna takes the stage in a belted wedding dress: “Boy Toy” (“a toy for boys”). At the very end of the show, the punk bride reached the stage and showed the world her stockings and garters. At the time it was more than just a sensation; There has never been such a revelation on television. Meanwhile, Madonna’s manager tried every possible way to discourage her from this trick and assured her that it would ruin her career, but Madonna didn’t listen and did what a true pop queen should do. It was a defining moment, not just in his career, but in the entire industry.

The women’s sex revolution

From the very beginning of her career, Madonna has preached sexual freedom and female pleasure in sex. Erotica was ahead of its time in many ways when she released the book “Sex” with candid photos for the release of her fifth studio album in 1992.

Addressing the subject of masturbation, this art manifesto drew a parallel between sadomasochism and religious self-flagellation. And the book ends with a loud and defiant statement “I’ll teach you how to have sex” (“I’ll teach you how to have sex”). Meanwhile, Madonna paid special attention to the packaging of the edition. All one and a half million copies were sold in a plastic bag that looked like a condom.

Clips as a separate art form

“Clips are a great way to reach those who can’t see you live,” Madonna said in 1984. This approach was kind of revolutionary. Madonna was one of the first to start making music videos with a clear concept, plot, and compelling story.

You can review the history of art and cinema from the Bedtime Story clip, it contains references to Tarkovsky’s films and Frida Kahlo’s paintings. However, the scandalous video of the song Justify My Love was not allowed to be broadcast on television, as its content was considered pornographic. Madonna did not lose her head and released the video on tapes, thereby earning several million dollars.

Vogue dance

The dance direction itself was not invented by Madonna, but it was she who was responsible for its distribution. Vogue appeared in New York in the 1960s, and the first representatives of the genre were the American Drug Queen. Later, the dance was called Presentation (i.e. “Presentation”), as its performers posed in front of a mirror, imitating iconic models of that time. Only 30 years later, in 1990, Madonna first released the Vogue track (which, by the way, was at the top of the world charts for a long time), and after a while also shot a video with its best representatives. dance genre enlightened. It was then that Vog firmly consolidated his position.

famous yoga trend

Once, Madonna came on the show to Oprah Winfrey and talked about the fact that she prefers yoga to classes at the gym. “Yoga is a metaphor for life,” She told the audience, and then the trend towards spiritual and physical practices began to spread at the speed of light. Talking about the benefits of such events, the singer recommended that anyone who wants to stay in shape and be in harmony with himself should sign up for these events. The advice of the singer was followed not only by Hollywood stars, but also by millions of girls around the world.

The birth of the first behind-the-scenes videos and reality shows

In 1991, Madonna released the documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare or In Bed with Madonna, which became the prototype for the reality show. The film is dedicated to the behind-the-scenes life of the pop singer during her tour of America in 1990. “In Bed with Madonna” became one of the most popular films of the genre. By the way, it later turned out that most of the scenes were staged to attract the attention of the audience. This idea was picked up by American producers and they began to create their own version of “In Bed with Madonna”.

No social barriers

Madonna never paid attention to skin color, sexual orientation or age. On the contrary, She has fought against sexism and racism throughout her life and supported the LGBT community in every possible way. In her videos, people with a non-traditional orientation were filmed, and the singer, without fear of criticism from society, raised acute social issues in her work.

One of his loudest statements on the subject is the video, Like Prayer, in which police wrongfully arrest a black man for assaulting a woman. The heroine of the Madonna in this video goes to church and prays for her acquittal.

Fighting against ageism

Now that Madonna has earned the status of a legend, it looks like she can do any kind of antics without finally being attacked by society. But Madonna wouldn’t be Madonna without constant criticism from haters. Over the past few years there has been a flurry of negativity due to candid images and photos of her supposedly not her age anymore. However, the queen does not care about these attacks. She wears see-through dresses, dates sexy men, and looks like she’s living her best life.

By the way, it’s about young lovers, who have been in large numbers over the past 10 years. Immediately after her divorce from Guy Ritchie in 2008, the singer had an affair with Brazilian model Jesus Luz, who is 28 years younger than her. They broke up two years later, and the dancer from his own ballet Brahim Zaibat became the new chosen one from the singer. They were together for three years. And in 2018, Madonna would marry Portuguese model Kevin Sampaio. By his example, he breaks stereotypes and proves that a woman can date men of any age.