Alex Davis Core Post - MADONNA

The discussion of Madonna, within Hooks' perspective, seeks to personify her as a true "Queen" - of manipulating racial representation. By blurring black representation with her consumption and self-identification of black culture, she panders and perpetuates the unspoken white superiority in race relations. 

I found her assuming position of power around others, especially her black back up dancers, to be conflicting. At times, I was rooting for her as the unapologetic "Queen bitch" and strong leading woman - and at times put off by her overwhelming demeanor. 

I found the discussion of her relationship with black culture, especially her overwhelming desire to physically partake in black culture, to be fascinating. It becomes taboo for one racial class to desire and connect with another group, based on the assumption of privilege. As soon as you can see a repressed class from the perspective of a commodity, you lose the true struggle and heart of how a group of people live. This can be said with any group. Is it appropriate for a heterosexual to desire the life of a gay men without truly understanding the pains of a homophobic society? 

I have to disagree with a part of Hook's discussion. I do not understand her argument that black women cannot relate with her, gay men love her, and black gay men adore her? I find the correlation to her construction of beauty and gay fan base to be based on nothing. The fact that this should be assumed and of no surprise, just panders to her singular identity as an LGBT icon. 

Her intimate relationship with domineering masculinity, especially in a sexual and powerful nature, tell how she perceives men with power. She may hate parts of it, but longs for the power associated with it. Madonna gets this power by asserting sexual dominance, as seen in her observations of other men. 

Continuing on the Madonna train, mostly everyone has now seen her kissing Drake at Coachella. Drake makes an apparent face of disgust during the incident. Was this routine planned? Was this a manifestation of her fascination with black culture? If so, what does this say about her and how she views black culture? It is interesting to note that Madonna usually imitates sexual black masculinity, and here she seemingly forces herself onto Drake, a black man who isn't shy to express his sexuality and viewpoints of women in music.