Last time we did a sunday brunch it we gave some thought to Rocky and Bullwinkle,
“Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of this hat.”
“Again?”
ROAR….
“Musta got the wrong hat!”
We had only one commenter last week, so Trix, you’re my winner! Thanks for stopping by and being another Jay Ward fan. These kids don’t know what they’re missing!
***BIG NEWS*** From now on, instead of the ebooks we’ve been awarding as prizes, I’ll be giving out a $5.00 Amazon gift card so readers can use it for the ebook (or other Amazon purchase) of their choice.
Comment to win, and choose your own prize!
This week, get out your snow cone bras, it’s time to decide whether you’re On The Borderline, you feel Like a Virgin, or you’re ready to Vogue!
Welcome this week’s guest author Lane Hayes! And BTW, Lane, Dolphin shorts STILL make me laugh. I was once flashed on a bridge in Paris by a jogger wearing Dolphin Shorts…
This week’s question is: “Which Madonna incarnation do you most identify with, and why?”
Madonna is an icon. She’s a media savvy superstar people tend to love or hate. Possibly one of the best things about her is her almost arrogant nonchalance. She is who she is and if you don’t like her, that’s your problem. Not hers. Who doesn’t wish they had that kind of carefree panache while wearing a cone-shaped corset, fishnets, a garter belt and not much else? Sign me up!
Or maybe not. I don’t think the world is ready for that look on me. Maybe it never was. There are so many other incarnations to choose from though. The 1930s Hollywood sex kitten phase or maybe Blond Ambition when she wore her hair in an impossibly high and tight ponytail (oh yeah, and that cone bra)? How about the cowgirl look from Music or even Evita?
My personal favorite Madonna incarnation is her Like A Virgin/Material Girl phase circa 1984-85. I love it for many reasons but the biggest is probably because I was a teenager who had a sexy fun new idol to look up to. One who could wear a tulle wedding skirt with laced up leather boots and a belt that claimed she was a Boy Toy. It never occurred to me to consider the look trashy or trampy. She looked edgy, cool and downright fierce. There was no mistaking her for someone’s “toy”. She looked like she could handle anyone without assistance.
I loved the blend of messy curly hair, short tight skirts and cut off leggings (think Desperately Seeking Susan). No one had successfully pulled off such odd combinations outside of a fashion runway before. C’mon, some people were still rockin’ their Dolphin shorts (if you don’t know what those are, look them up…it’s worth the laugh) and shoulder pads were a must! Madonna was among the first to deconstruct fashion so that thrift shop finds looked original and sexy as hell. She was punk meets pop, but heavy on the pop, which gave her a cool factor and accessibility other artists didn’t have. What about those mesh tops with her bra showing? Good girls didn’t wear clothes like that! And yet, somehow she didn’t come across as a bad girl either.
Madonna blurred the lines between good girl/bad girl and threw out a new idea. Can’t you be a little bit of both? Yes! A million times yes. I’m mostly good, but yes… I like some edgier things also. Hell, I write MM contemporary romance books. And I love reading them! The sexier the better. Some people don’t get that and never will. But I think Madonna would concur… that would be their problem.
Hmm. Maybe I have learned something from the Queen of Pop after all.
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I knew a couple of gals in the mid-80s who created their own versions of the look you’re talking about, Lane, and they had a lot of fun with it. Guess I was too punk/biker at that time to try it out (lace?! nope)–although I did get my wardrobe at thrift shops. I love her Vogue period. She looked so classy and timeless… and I can still listen to the music–but not sitting down.
*not commenting on Dolphin shorts*
So I had to look up what dolphins shorts are. I never knew that those short shorts from the 80’s had a name. When I was around 11 or 12 my dad gave me a pair he still had from high school. I tried them on and they were a bit to small and I was shocked at how short they were. I was also shocked my dad ever wore them, some things a daughter just doesn’t need to know 😉
My favorite Madonna was her foray into Pop/Hip-Hop with Music, the song where she went to a strip club looking like a pimp. I also liked her collaborations with Justin Timberlake.
It showed how flexible she is as an artist and her ability to be relevant with current trends.
If I win, I want St. Nachos books. Just read book 1 and I am a new fan
Hmm. I loved the music, but was never really into fashion. I just went with the flow and didn’t angst about pop culture much. I was always a bit of a Geek, and didn’t care about fitting in with the popular high school kids.
Ah, nice that my cartoon-watching was good for something. 🙂 I’ve never really thought much about it before, though I tend toward the earlier eras of Madonna…I know that “Burning Up” is the one song of hers I’ll turn up if it’s on the radio. (I must admit that I expected Iggy Pop to do much more with it at her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, but hey.)