Core Post 3 - Madonna

In Hook’s article about Madonna’s iconic complexities, he argues about her use of black culture and breaking out of social constraints for her own star power and public exposures. “I often admire, and yes at times, even envy, Madonna because she has created a cultural space where she can invent and reinvent herself and receive public affirmation and material reward (Hook, 2),” he notes. Through Madonna’s music videos, dances, and many of her lyrics, she has integrated black culture into her career development and artistic expression. However the article also notes that she misunderstand the black pleasure because she’s never experienced the black pain. I believe it resembles Michael Jackson’s ambiguity of race in some way, that Madonna uses this controversial image for massive discussions and gossips. But she also sets an example of a “free woman,” who works hard to break out of the social norms and be successful. That’s why her major audiences are African American females. I personally admires her strong female image, which no matter is intentionally made or inherited within the person, because it sets an example for the audience to think critically about gender rules. Regarding her use of black culture I think it’s good to integrate arts from other races, but also it might be intentional for public controversial and gossips.