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Madonna

Madonna Defined…

Celebrity status can be defined as famous or well known individuals from many different venues such as movies, music and sports.  The person I am talking about is defined to society as more than just a celebrity and the influence that comes with it. Therefore, the question that comes to mind is what you call someone who is defined as more than just a celebrity? The answer to that question is summed up into one word called Madonna. She is more than a celebrity because of what she represents in American culture. She is not the “dime a dozen” celebrity that can easily be forgotten. Madonna means so many different things to American culture from woman, fashion, music, dance, and so much more.

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 Who is Madonna?

Madonna was born in 1958 in Bay City, Michigan and her life drastically changed after her mother died when she was 6 years old. After disliking her new family she found her escape into a new world of dance by studying ballet and getting dance scholarship and the University of Michigan. Then pursed her passion at the University then she tried her luck in the big new world of “Big Apple” New York City. She did numerous miscellaneous odd jobs around the city before she really got her big break. She became fascinated with the world of music after she got the chance to travel to Paris. She was then inspired to write her own songs and got her music played in the hottest disco dance clubs in the city such as Roxy and Danceteria. After demoing her songs she got a recording contract with Sire Records in October 1982 for her club hit “Everybody”. Her first album had a slow start but she soon had 3 hit songs, music videos, concerts, and films that followed her fame after this album. One of her hit songs on her first album called “Borderline” made the “Madonna look” famous. This look was so popular that it was named after her and people started to dress like her as a fashion statement.  This was when Madonna just became part of the mainstream life in America because she was just so new and exciting better than any other female artist ever seen. Then in 1985 she had her biggest year because Madonna was in everything from the radio, her first concert tour, many magazine covers, a big movie role and an appearance at the biggest concert of the year “Live Aid”.  She became so popular that everyone had an opinion about her from feminist saying she is a bad role model because she is “too sexy” to teenagers all over America trying to be her. Overall this overview about her doesn’t even compare to the actual impact she had on American culture.

So How Did She Change American Culture?

No other female artist has had such an impact on American culture especially teen culture much like Madonna. She changed people’s clothes, music, and opinions. She does this because she is very versatile and can relate to many different types of people. For example, people have seen her in so many different lights such as icon, artist, dancer, actress, diva and many more. She seems to stand through the time because she able to change with the time unlike many other artists. Madonna means so many different things to American culture from woman, fashion, music, dance, and so much more. She represents a strong woman who didn’t care what people thought and expressed herself the way she wanted. She is a trendsetter and a free spirited person that influenced other people especially the youth of this time to be the same way. She helped many other women feel free to not be bound by society’s status quo on woman.  She helped pave the road for many other artists to become famous and influential as well.  Also she came into the scene with the ability to be very versatile and chameleon like. This boosted her popularity because people never knew what to expect from her. She changed the way people thought and dressed with is a big influence she had. American culture especially youth culture of the 80s and 90s would be very different if they didn’t have a person like Madonna making changes.

Madonna….The Real Material Girl