Style Icons: Madonna
[ 8 August 2007 ]
“I think you can be defiant & rebellious & still be strong & positive.” — Madonna
I love Madonna. I can’t get enough of her newest album, Confessions On A Dance Floor, & have you seen the video for Hung Up? Girl is FIT! If I have a body like that when I’m 49 (!), I will be extremely pleased.
Why is Madonna a style icon? As if I even need to tell you! She has been making music for years — this year marks her 28th year in the pop business. Even more incredibly, almost all of her albums have been critically acclaimed, each distinctly different from the next. Her image is as mercurial as the weather — she is the ultimate chameleon. While she often shocks & surprises, she manages to pull off each look attempted with incredible flair & panache. Through taking these fashion risks, she inspires entire generations of women to imitate her. While I’m not under the illusion that she is perfect, I think she is a pretty fantastic role model.
She moved to New York City at the end of her sophomore year at school with $35 in her pocket, hoping to pursue a career in dance. She worked at Dunkin’ Donuts for a while, but in 1979 became involved with a musician, which kick-started her career. Since then, she has released ten studio albums & scores of singles, compilations & live albums. Anyone with that kind of drive gets my stamp of approval!
Here are some of my favourite Madonna moments…
Remember, this was before Britney went off the rails!
Partly responsible for introducing pole-dancing to the masses…
Love the shoes.
Dress, gloves, hair! Perfection!
I almost wish I was Italian, just so I could wear that t-shirt in tribute.
“I’ve been popular & unpopular, successful & unsuccessful, loved & loathed, & I know how meaningless it all is. Therefore, I feel free to take whatever risks I want.” — Madonna
For your viewing pleasure, I present two of my favourite Madonna videos… maybe not totally appropriate for work, but totally hot.
Erotica (love that gold tooth!)
Justify My Love
Some wise words from the superstar?
“Be strong; believe in freedom & in God; love yourself; understand your sexuality; have a sense of humor; masturbate; don’t judge people by their religion, colour or sexual habits; love life & your family.” — Madonna
I couldn’t agree more.
P.S. She likes to sing “My Way” by Frank Sinatra in the shower.
Extra For Experts:
Celebrity quotes
Madonna on Letterman in 1994.
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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lovvvvve her! it almost scares me that i want to be her and she’d actually older then my mum!!! she’s always been untouchable cool in my eyes … such a bloody icon. thanks so much for showing her off and all the nice picies.
Madge is a complete legend! She well and truly has the midas touch when it comes to her career and life. Love love love Deeper and Deeper… that’s my favourite Madge track of all time!!! My only concern about her is that to get to where she is, she has used an awful lot of people and I don’t think she’s ever given them the credit they deserve – that’s my only gripe but musically, she’s always been bang on the money!!!
She always was and always will be…
“As a child I had few goals, like many girls I whizzed around in a world of fantasy preoccupied with my own reflection in the mirror and mastering the words to the latest pop hit…I never wanted to be a princess, I never wanted to marry prince charming, had no interest in being a sports woman, didn’t much like babies, never had a cabbage patch doll, wasn’t interested in baking pretty strawberry cakes and I tattooed my pretty in pink barbie – what I dreamt about most was not easily attainable, but some how back then it didn’t seem too out of reach. What I wanted was…TO BE MADONNA!
Lace wrapped around my head and tied in a bow, bracelets up to my elbow and little off the shoulder numbers got me even closer to my goal.”
Your post reminded me of an old one I whipped up!
http://sushizume.blogspot.com/2006/07/erotic-erotic-get-your-hands-off-my.html
I LOVE THIS POST!!! Thanks Gala, you too are a style icon (030)**chu!!
Oh Madonna, a definite favorite of mine. Nice little post about her, wonderful quotes and photo choices :D
FYI – The new album is sounding hot… Timbaland is doing a spot on job with it!!!
Long live Madge! She is one of the sexiest fashion icons ever, yet, I don’t see her being the least bit slutty! (How does that work! I want to find out her secrets.)
I have tagged you! :] Read my latest blog for the rules.
Hi,
Madonna is not one of my favorite icons but I remember, some years ago, she did a movie about her life during one of her roadshows… One of the scenes was in Spain, when she was trying to find a very young and internationally unknown actor called “Antonio Banderas”...
She wanted to f**c him until she discovered Antonio was married (there’s life before Melanie Griffith) :-))...
I must say she impressed me and I (from a Marketing perspective as I’m a marketing guy) she’s the perfect example of “continuous recycling” to be adapted to new times, new music, new styles and so on…
So, at the end (guess what!) I think I admire her…
Have to come to someone’s blog to discover this: WOW! :-)
Regards from Spain :-)
Paquito.
I loved that Lolita-style shoot she did for Vanity Fair (the picture where she’s sitting on the blue duck thing). I think I might still have all her old Vanity Fair magazines! I’ll have to check.
i’ve been lurking here for awhile and i really enjoy your blog…
i had to come out of hiding to say i absolutely agree that madonna is a style icon. i’ve been a fan ever since i was in grade 7 and hung her posters all over my wall…that was back in her lace, rubber bracelets & yellow nailpolish phase. it’s been fascinating to watch her grow and change over and over again since those days. the master of reinvention indeed!
I love Madonna too! She’s so divalicious, and never boring. A true entertainer, and my inspiration when I need to be bold.
i have always loved her music! i remember wanting to dress like her in elementary school and being told that it wasn’t right for a girl my age. :) i’m just so happy that she is still coming out with such awesome music.
I grew up listening to Madonna because my older sister was a huge fan. I can distinctly remember singing a lot of her, um, raunchier songs, without having the faintest idea what they were about!!
Nadia: I was the same with the spice girls…
“I need some love like I never needed love before, wanna make love to ya baby”
Anna Rose: totally! me too. man, that must have been horrible for our parents….
....
Oh Madonna yeah she is always hot , I loved her Jockey esque photo shoot ..her and horses can that ever be wrong !
Oh and she is a Leo ( august 16 ) us Leos are the BEST !
Mooiiiiiia
x
Girl, if I looked like that now, I’d be more than extremely pleased!
I still like her older music better, but I do like that she’s always evolving in both fashion and music. She is AMAZING to see performing live. And I grew up with her, so she can really do no wrong by me at this point.
ms. Tokyomade — Awhh that blog post was so cute! Love it. So I take it that the macrobiotic meal wasn’t too tasty?!
Laurel — Good point. They really are very similar. I sometimes wish Michael Jackson had that same changing ability, I think his career would still be going if he did (& had someone around to tell him ‘no’ when he wanted to do stupid things)!
Robin — Ooh, you’re such a music industry insider! How much have you heard?
krissy — Hi! Yeah, she’s definitely amazing, & her body is mind-blowing!
Nadia — “I don’t want you to thank me, you can just… spank me!”
Chesney — I’ve never seen her live, but would love to. Hopefully next year or something!
Madonna is, was and always will be massively cool. I bought “Like A Virgin” (on vinyl!) when I was young and impressionable. (I also have “True Blue” on blue vinyl! Too awesome!) Oh the lace gloves I wore back in the day (happy sigh). I REALLY loved her “Evita/Ray of Light” era. “Rain” is probably my fave single. Mmm . . . she’s just great.