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Since Madonna was brought up repeatedly in the Impeachment trial last week, I've been doing a deep dive into her history as an activist and figure of political and social ire.
I'm going to add more clips to this thread over time but here is Madonna: The Politician.
I'm going to add more clips to this thread over time but here is Madonna: The Politician.
At the start of her career, Madonna was frequently criticised for having a sexualised image. It's worth bearing in mind that this is way before SEX-era Madonna. Rather than back down, she continued to defend herself and other women with grace.
In this interview from her Blond Ambition tour in 1990, Madonna acknowledges the racist aspect of the controversy over Like a Prayer and astutely identifies the link between the rise of conservatism in America and the fear of AIDs.
Later the same year, Madonna's video for Justify My Love is banned from MTV and she appears in this now infamous Dateline interview. She outlines the hypocrisy of society finding violence acceptable but not sexuality.
In this interview, Madonna advocates for more open discussion of sex and sexuality, noting that sweeping these things under the carpet has not worked for America and the world. She raises the issue of ignorance to safe sex and the rising cases of HIV in the straight community.
When promoting the documentary Truth or Dare in 1991, Madonna effortlessly shuts down this interviewer's question about how the homophobic public will react to the film.
The most controversial time in Madonna's career is obviously the SEX/Erotica era of 1992-3. During this period, she consistently and eloquently challenged those who criticised her sexual agency. She was frequently asked where the line was and always answered by saying 'CONSENT.'
In the face of this backlash, Madonna continued to be a fierce advocate for safe sex, gay rights and feminism. This interview with Jonathan Ross is great because he seems to have an understanding of what she's trying to achieve. Note how she speaks on ageism here too in 1992!
This interview is also notable for how Jonathan asks her about the false rumours that Madonna herself is HIV positive. Her response is stunning when you consider how long ago this was.
Madonna continued to field questions on the SEX book and her sexuality well into the 1990s. She frequently used the ongoing reaction to it to highlight the patriarchal society we live in.
Madonna's next major political statement was the American Life video, which was critical of the then potential war in Iraq. When war was declared, she pulled the video, but the damage to her career was done. Most people now agree the war was unnecessary and illegal.
Once again, when lesser artists would back down and shrink away from an onslaught of criticism for speaking out, Madonna doubled down and frequently made political references during her Reinvention tour as documented in I'm Going to Tell You a Secret.
I'll round this thread off with Madonna's speech from the 2016 Billboard Women in Music Awards. She was honoured as woman of the year.
I hope some of you watched some of these clips and realised that Madonna deserves her flowers, actually. Just make sure they're not hydrangeas.
This one was sent to me by @wheremyditaat1 wow what a moment https://twitter.com/wheremyditaat1/status/1361391508012859394?s=20
