Article on Madonna: Material whirl

... With "Vogue", Madonna introduced to the mainstream the dance and mannerisms of what was essentially a small culture of gay, black New York men. It came at the tail-end of a ludicrously successful Eighties career, and it pushed her fame into the stratosphere because... it left Madonna in the blissful position of being able to choose whatever she wanted to do next in the knowledge that everyone would be staring... Looking back on Madonna's behaviour ten years ago, it is easy to forget exactly what all the fuss was about, why American universities set up degrees in Madonna studies, why she became the supreme gay icon, why she angered as many feminists as she delighted... Yet it is cliched, but true: Madonna irrevocably changed the media image of female sexuality... What should not be forgotten about Madonna taking off her clothes is that she was not doing it on the request of, or even for the pleasure of, heterosexual men. She made herself the reason why she took her clothes off; she used her sexuality in a way that empowered her and no one else... Madonna did not desire to be provocative for its own sake. The scandalous elements of [her] show may have been relentless self-publicity, but she also had a message of liberality and tolerance to spread, regardless of the effect on her record sales. Portraying women as owners of male slaves, and promoting respect for gay people, Madonna had a fairly progressive agenda for someone who was supposed to epitomise the mainstream... If Madonna becomes controversial and defiant again, will people start to notice what she is doing, and will they still care? And if they are no longer outraged, does that mean victory or defeat for Madonna?...

Robin Meltzer. New Statesman. London: Sep 18, 2000. Vol. 13, Iss. 623; pg. 45, 2 pgs