madonna and feminism

I feel so intellectual and classy. I'm reading both Andy Warhol's Diary and a collection of essays written by the journalist Camille Paglia, titled "Sex, Art, and American Culture". First two chapters talk beautifully, eloquently, and respectfully about the rise of Madonna as an artist, and what her work is and was all about. I don't like Madonna much as a singer (I've never liked pop music) but I've always respected her as a woman. Her work, though controversial and borderline pornographic, is so exotically and intimately expressive and beautiful, and even more so because she is not afraid to push it outward and (quite literally) into people's faces.

I consider myself a feminist through and through, but it always angers me when I hear one of them say "Oh, Madonna, she's such a sex object. She's so weak and anti-feminist. She gives all women a bad name...". No. Paris Hilton gives women a bad name. Lindsay Lohan and Amy Winehouse give women a bad name. Unfortunately, most classic feminists do, too. Madonna is possibly one of the strongest women the world has to offer. She is confident enough and strong enough, in her own skin, to speak her mind and express herself through a pure artist persona. I respect her for that.

I feel that feminism took a right-wing turn somewhere along the line... Most of them have the Valerie Solanas standpoint on sexual labels and general sexuality: "women are better than men". This wave of thinking often manifests in women trying to be just like men; not equal to or even better than, but men themselves. It's tragic. To me it seems that in the fight for feminism, we've all but completely lost what it means to be a woman. I think that feminism should mean that we are proud and strong as women no matter our sexuality, marital status, occupation, or religious and political beliefs. We should be celebrated and revered as important members of human society, and beautiful creatures in the web of the world. It seems to me that the weakest members of the women's circle are these classic feminists, who are so afraid of being the object of men that they've completely forsaken true feminism. To me, a real feminist is someone who can be girly and true to herself and not give a shit what men think. That's real feminism, and that's what Madonna stands for.

That is all.