In light of the aftermath of what I am sure will become Madonna's infamous performance with Drake, I thought it appropriate to bring up the early roots of her ability to shock audiences.
I decided to start reading Life with My Sister Madonna by
Christopher Ciccone, Madonna’s brother, who is featured in the film Truth or Dare. In the film, he is portrayed as one of
Madonna’s confidants. He’s always there
when she needs him, and he is often telling her how great she looks. I was curious about the “real” Madonna, and
when I found out her brother had written a book, I had to read it.
In an interesting excerpt from the book, Ciccone recounts
Madonna’s first ever “performance” at a school talent show when she was 14
years old. From the author’s account of
the event, one can tell that Madonna was always willing to push the boundaries,
even from a young age. Ciccone says,
“Madonna suddenly twirls onstage, covered from head to foot in green and
fluorescent pink paint, which creates the illusion that she is stark naked…
Madonna starts dancing—or perhaps writhing
is a better word… none can take their eyes off Madonna” (Ciccone 43-44). From early on, Madonna was sexualizing her
image, drawing the “male gaze” to her body, and dancing and dressing
provocatively. Although she was not
actually naked, Madonna created the illusion
of nudity through costume. She
wanted to shock people and make a statement, and her brother states that “her
performance is the most scandalous one that anyone has ever seen in that
conservative community” (Ciccone 44).
Madonna was already crafting an onstage persona in middle school, aware
that she could make audiences pay attention by both charming and shocking them.
And it seems, not much has changed. Part of Madonna's persona has become her ability to be outrageous onstage. She wants her moves to seem spontaneous when in reality they are very calculated. She is a self-proclaimed perfectionist who loves to rehearse. If she's made you gasp, at least in her eyes, she's done her job.
Many stars use the shock factor to gain attention and stardom. In fact, one could almost say that sometimes, that is the main or only method that some people use to get famous.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to compare this Madonna story to that of Miley Cyrus. Miley Cyrus is well-known for having used shocking dance moves and outrageous outfits to gain media attention. Stars like Miley, Madonna and Lady Gaga pull these publicity stunts just to increase their number of viewers. (I would personally call this a method of cheating. In my opinion, stardom should be achieved by displaying immense talent or innovation, not just shocking people or using sex appeal...)
Like Madonna's costume at her talent show, Miley Cyrus also chose to wear an outfit that gives the illusion of nudity at the VMA awards. Her skin-colored two-piece leotard made her literally look naked!
What is funny to me is that both Madonna and Miley Cyrus are self-proclaimed Christians. Not only are their outfits and behaviors shocking to the average audience member. But I can't imagine what their fellow Christians are thinking...
(Supplemental Post #4)