Final Paper The Woman of Defiance ‘I went to New York, I had a dream. I wanted to be a big star, I didn’t know anybody, I wanted to dance, I wanted to sing, I wanted to do all those things, I wanted to make people happy, I wanted to be famous, I wanted everybody to love me. I worked really hard, and my dream came true’ (Guilbert 153). Madonna, an American female icon, has accomplished many aspects of the entertainment business over her twenty year entertainment span. These achievements are demonstrated in the above quote which was said by Madonna. Through this paper, I will explore her accomplishments of being a singer, writer, actor, and businesswoman. Also, I will address her many reinventions of herself in order to relate to all generations. At the beginning of Madonna’s career, teenage girls envied her, dressed like her and wanted to be like her. Now after two decades of entertaining the world, Madonna has changed her image again in such a way that parents can relate to her not just as an entertainer but also as a singer. Madonna, one of the most influential female singers who has laid the foundation for present and future female singers, continually reinvents herself as a singer, writer, and actor in order to further her influence on future generations. Madonna attended the University of Michigan in hopes of becoming a ballerina; however, she left after a year and moved to New York City (“Madonna” 1). Upon arrival in New York, Madonna held various jobs in order to buy food and shelter. Being in a band was one of Madonna’s jobs not long before she became a pop diva. Before becoming the famous icon that she is today, Madonna played the drums in a club band called the Breakfast Club (“MTV News” 1). In addition to being a member of the Breakfast Club, Madonna was known as “Cherry Vanilla,” a stage name, used for her underground performances in New York. Not only was she famous throughout the underground society as a singer, but was also getting recognized for her book Pop Tart, which contained photographs of herself (Morton 91). Even at the beginning of Madonna’s rise to fame she already held diverse roles in the entertainment business. Starting at the beginning of her career, in the early 1980s, Madonna challenged society by producing provocative and sexual songs and videos. She was banned from many airwaves including the popular teen music channel MTV. Despite this prohibition, women, especially teenage girls, admired Madonna because of her strong characteristics: power and independence (Robertson 127). “She was one of the first of a new wave of women performers to win fame for being themselves” (Morton 91). One girl discusses how she admirers Madonna and how her actions of adhering to one’s own beliefs has motivated her to reach her goals: Madonna has taught me so much about life. Life’s what you make for yourself. She helps me say strong and never give up. I may not ever achieve what Madonna has, but I have goals and dreams of my own that I want to work hard at and Madonna has helped me gain the confidence, strength and power that I need (Guilbert 153). This quote exemplifies positive feedback of Madonna and her actions in society. Of course, she is controversial, but Madonna is an excellent role model to a teenage girl who looks up to her because of her confidence and independence. 1984 was the year that Madonna had her first Top 10 hit, “Borderline.” This hit was the first of seventeen consecutive Top 10 hits (“Madonna” 1). Because her singles performed so well on the Top 10 chart, Madonna received offers of starring roles in movies. She began filming in her first starring movie role in the film Desperately Seeking Susan. Following this movie, Madonna also starred in the movies: Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own, and Evita. For her performance in the movie, Evita, Madonna won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical (“Madonna” 2). By being a sought out actress and winning awards for her acting talents, Madonna showed society that she was versatile and not just a contentious singer. Most people only know of the singer and actress aspects of Madonna. Yes, she starred in numerous movies and performed countless songs. However, she also performed on Broadway for eight months in David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow. Madonna has already reinvented herself and was successful at dominating three aspects of the entertainment business. “One of Madonna’s ambitions, characteristic of the postmodern, is to appear where she is not expected” (Guilbert 31). Aspiring female singers still want to be like Madonna. She has the power to influence society on many different views through her strong opinions and beliefs. “Madonna is a feminist in the true sense. She provides a strong female role and has done more for females as stronger characters than most anyone” (Real 113). She has songs that talk about sex and abortion. In that time period, many families did not discuss those issues. As a result, many girls turned to Madonna and her lyrics to learn about her side on important issues. “She knowingly manipulates her image, mixing feminism and postmodernism with a hunger for attention through outrage” (Real 93). During the duration of Madonna’s career, she has protested and challenged many issues that society tries to avoid talking about. She has defied the Church, views about sex, abortion, politics and big businesses in her videos and in other promotional displays (Robertson 128). Routinely, Madonna featured gays and lesbians in her videos. These videos were often banned and too provocative for the time period in which they were made (Guilbert 47). In 1992, Madonna tested society’s tolerance again. This time it was not a video or a song that was controversial but a book. Titled Sex, the book was sold out and needed reprint. In a matter of days, over 1.5 million copies were sold (“MTV News” 1). The book contained controversial photographs from revealing clothing to interracial couples, to homosexual couples. Being responsible was one characteristic that can be used to describe Madonna. She is active in knowing where her money is stored. If she chooses to invest her money she is careful to know how much is invested and where. Madonna is also known for being frugal with her money. Besides donating to charities, she does not give her money out to family members or friends for no reason at all. Because of this excellent ability to handle money, Time-Warner offered her a multi-million dollar contract which gave her total control over her own production company, Maverick (McClary 1). Twenty years after her start of her career, Madonna is currently writing a children’s series book and changing the type of music she writes from pop to rock. It seems to many as if Madonna is tired of living in the lime-light and wants to settle down and enjoy more time with her family (Kot 8). The children’s book, entitled English Roses, is about four girls who are jealous of another girl. The group of girls eventually will find out that the girl does not have a mother. This story is similar to the life of Madonna who also did not have a mother growing up. Madonna’s mother died of cancer when she was five years old (Berkowitz 2). Referring to her singing career and her mother’s death, she links the two by declaring that, “she had to fill the void somehow” (Guilbert 29). Although it is apparent that she is making an effort to change and reinvent herself once again, it is hard for critics to understand that she does not care about selling millions of records as long as she is happy with herself. “She no longer wants to titillate, entertain or strut around in cone-shaped bras; instead, she wants to confess her sins, decry her ambition and show us the way to spiritual contentment” (Kot 2). In conclusion, Madonna has reinvented herself to be popular and controversial with every generation over the past twenty years. She has had her struggles and tragedies such as her mother’s death, but she surpassed these obstacles allowing her to be named the “Queen of Pop.” She has influenced female singers and society as a whole over her entertainment lifespan which does not look like it will extinguish anytime soon. “The girl who arrived in New York with a fistful of dollars is, and has been, a publisher, music mogul, TV executive, merchandising magnate and film producer and one of the richest women on the planet” (Morton 17). Works Cited Berkowitz, Lana. “Madonna Takes the Write Tack.” Houston Chronicle 29 Sept. 2003: 1. Microsoft Internet Explorer. 26 October 2003. Keyword: Madonna and Singer. Guilbert, Georges-Claude. Madonna As a Postmodern Myth: How One’s Star’s Self-Construction Rewrites, Sex, Gender, Hollywood, and The American Dream. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2002. Kot, Greg. “Madonna, Don’t Preach---You’re Still Material Girl.” Chicago Tribune 20 August 2003: 8. 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