Madonna is definitely one of the more known megastars of the 1980s.  She achieved her popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV.  With many controversial videos, such as, “Like a Prayer,” she knew how to get people talking.  I feel like one of the major things that she did and tried to accomplish was to push the boundaries of where females were “supposed” to do.  She definitely was a feminist icon in the ’80s.

Madonna spoke about the struggles she faced early on in her career, even mentioning that in 1979, when she first moved to New York City, she was held at gunpoint, robbed, and raped with a knife to her throat.  She said this situation taught her to belief in herself because that was the only real safety in life.  Also, around this time her life, Madonna said that David Bowie became a major source of inspiration for her as he broke with gender norms as an artist.

She gave a speech in December of last year, where she talks about her stance of the issue of feminism.  She starts out by thanking the audience for acknowledging her ability to continue her music career for 34 years in the face of “blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying and relentless abuse.”  She then goes on to talk about her muse, David Bowie, who “embodied male and female spirit” and “made me think there were no rules.”  She later goes on to recant this statement by saying “But I was wrong. There are no rules – if you’re a boy. There are rules if you’re a girl.”

Those rules are as follows: “If you’re a girl, you have to play the game. You’re allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy. But don’t act too smart. Don’t have an opinion that’s out of line with the status quo. You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut, but don’t own your sluttiness. And do not, I repeat do not, share your own sexual fantasies with the world. Be what men want you to be, but more importantly, be what women feel comfortable with you being around other men. And finally, do not age. Because to age is a sin. You will be criticised and vilified and definitely not played on the radio.”

I feel like her albums, more recently to be exact, reflect the message that she’s trying to spread through her music. With songs like Unapologetic Bitch, Bitch, I’m Madonna, Iconic, Joan of Arc, etc she seems to be describing herself.  She has nothing to apologize for, she is being herself and has earned the right to say “Bitch, I’m Madonna.”

I really appreciate the fact that she is using her influence over the public to talk about and support such a hot button issue.  Of course every star has their flaws, but overall I feel Madonna is a great example of a 1980’s megastar that is still very relevant.  She definitely uses her powers fro good instead of evil.