Woke up thinking about Madonna and her new set of grillz. She's ten years older than me but had always served as a beacon in some ways, representing an extreme, theatrical example of what it meant to be a modern, potent feminist.

Today she is a brand (and I don't mean this as an insult, she just is) and as a brand her job is to court the next generation of fans. Hence, the grillz, the booty popping, and whatever she's doing to her face.

Yet, I can't deny her impact on my life and my work. Reading this article from Rookie this morning, I remembered it was quotes like these that I still laud her for, because she said them at a time when few equated sexual expression with feminism. Now it seems de rigeur, but it wasn't so in the '80, the naked hippy long left in the dusty wake of the stampeding yuppy.

“I may be dressing like the typical bimbo, whatever, but I’m in charge. I’m in charge of my fantasies…Isn’t that what feminism is all about?” MADONNA

I like this quote because it simplifies feminism, boiling it down to two essential ideas: Equality and Agency. "Pay me the same respect as men (and the same damn paycheck), and don't tell me what I can do with my body."

That's it. Madonna has always represented those two things powerfully. And for that, I will (begrudgingly) always love her.

http://rookiemag.com/2012/05/literall...