Madonna Turns 50

Surely you have heard the news: Madonna is 50.

To an entire generation of girls who were somewhere between 10-14 when Madonna first presented herself to us, this seems impossible. I remember watching the material girl writhe around the MTV screen in black lace gloves and jelly bracelets panting "Like A Virgin" and thinking she must be the coolest woman in the world. In a shameful moment of fashion faux-pas and complete lack of my own creativity, I immediately ran to Claire's boutique to get my own. I felt connected to her: she was a Leo. Her birthday only 3 days after mine. Her father was repressive (aren't the fathers of all young teenage girls?!) and she endured the constant chant of Catholism.

Later on, when Madonna crooned about "Isla Bonita" which seemed like the ultimate summer song, in the year before my freshman year, I thought she looked so cool rolling around in the sand, I promised someday, I too, would go to an island and roll around in the sand looking that cool. Well, at least the first part came true. That summer, thanks to "sun-in" I became a blonde too (and rarely have I been anything since).

Those were the days of relative innocence of Madonna. And for much of my generation.

As she became the Material Girl, and then the anti-christ, girls in small towns going to Catholic Schools hid their Madonna albums but could not resist them, not the message or the curiosity of what she would say next. As we moved into college, Madonna "Expressed Herself" in every single way possible, publishing her journey in very public forums, including a very sexy book. Suddenly, empowering yourself as woman in a very complete way, emotional, sexual, social, seemed nothing to be ashamed of, it seemed possible.
Perhaps its because we were already coming to that conclusion, or perhaps it was because Madonna dared all of society to deny her. Its as if we needed Madonna to show us why Women's liberation was so important, because at the time, we weren't sure why it was so important anymore.

Madonna got married, but she didn't settle down. She was the "Ray of Light" showing women all around the world how to do it all: be a Mom, a Wife and a breadwinner. She lifted and posed and strutted and remained timely and relevant.

In a way, Madonna is more like my generation than her own. We grew and evolved as she did. We chased her down a path of boundry testing, exploration and maturity. We watched with awe as she showed us how to MAKE the rules, rather than break them.

As terrified as our parents were of Madonna, in the end, she wasn't responsible for any of our problems, if we had them, they were ours. Madonna would be the first to tell you that you have to sleep in the bed you didn't make that morning. And in the end, time got an icon that won't be soon forgotten. She will be remembered for the way she pranced over convention, showed women what a "voice" was and laughed and learned the entire time. And honestly, her outrageousness doesn't seem so dangerous anymore does it?

Each in our own way, we should be so lucky to make a difference, if only on the lives of our daughters. Maybe by the time I have daughters that are 14, they will find that Retro Madonna chick cool and I will get to re-live it all over again.