I was asked by Nhật Thực to create a thread based on Madonna being instrumental in bringing the retro style into pop culture and how she took inspiration from Marilyn but as I was writing it a few things occurred to me. In the comments section I was surely going to be questioned about "copying" if I didn't address it, so this thread has turned into an explanation of Plagiarism vs Homage and how Madonna pays homage like no one else in the business.

The whole "Madonna copied Marilyn" argument is so watered down and I really cringe when I see people use it. First and foremost the blond bombshell look existed and was popular in the 60's and 70's. The world simply uses Marilyn Monroe as a stylistic reference. The aesthetics and visual inspirations Madonna has taken from actors, choreographers, painters and designers have nothing, or very little, to do with her work as a pop musician.

On top of that, Madonna has recreated several iconic images and poses exactly as they were and goes on to acknowledge it, This, is homage. Madonna is PLAYING a character, much like an actor plays a role.

This:

Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe, Amy Adams as Rita Hayworth and Cate Blanchett as Veronica Lake





Is no different to this:




Madonna did not mimic their speech, their acting style or the message they conveyed. To understand this, take this quote from Madonna herself:

Quote:

“A lot of people saw Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland as persecuted and tragic and vulnerable, and I think a lot of gay men feel that way because of their particular predicament in society. I’m playing with her image and turning it around.”

Further evidence is the Material Girl video. Madonna recreates a scene from "Gentlemen prefer blondes" she did not simply dress as marlin and create a video, she recreated a scene but the artistic message was the polar opposite of what the original scene stood for. In Gentlemen prefer blondes, Monroe played a gold digger. In Material girl, Madonna falls in love with the poor man whom can't afford to buy her gifts.



Madonna did not simply use that iconic image immortalized in American Golden Age cinema by Monroe and just repeated it, she actually reinterpreted it. As most of Madonna’s work is based on irony, the irony in the Material Girl video is that for a song that she self-proclaims herself “a material girl living in a material world”, she was offering the diamonds and the gifts she receives from men to her girlfriend over the phone because is NOT a material girl.

That is the essence of art - that is true inspiration - You take a piece of work and reinterpret it, you reinvent it. That’s what Madonna has always been doing. While Madonna is inspired visually her music still stands on it's own as an original piece of work: If Material girl never got a video it would still exist. If vogue was inspired by something other than Hollywood icons, the music would still exist

All of Madonnas visual inspirations that come from Hollywoods golden era state a new artistic message and bring new meaning to the concept.

Madonna also did not become famous based on someone else's look. Madonna became famous herself and created her own iconic looks.





Perhaps the most important thing of all. Madonna has acknowledged it all throughout her career and my favourite actually came in 2012 when Madonna lists of all of these hollywood icons and explains that she crawls in their footsteps.



This is why Madonna is and always will be the Queen of pop culture. Like Marilyn, like Rita Hayworth, like Grace Jones and like the other hollywood icons she's paid homage to - The pop girls of today, yesterday and the future continue to pay homage and reference Madonna, the same way she did to her idols.

Great thread as usual.

It's good to talk about Material Girl because Madonna herself refused to play that song for years and also refused to be known as "Material Girl" because as she used to explain, that song was meant to be 'ironic' and people used it as she,Madonna, was indeed, a "Material Girl" . Someone who only cares about money and stuff . And that was clearly not her intention .

Thank you

I love talking about Material girl and I love clocking those that think it's a copy

Marilyn is only one of like, 400 people Madonna's been accused of "copying". Get to work, sis, you've got 399 more threads to make explaining why the others are just "paying homage" as well. :P

great read

Hopefully this very good thread will let people understand that inspiring your art to someone else's while still developing your ideas and your style in it is nothing but a homage, a tribute to that artist. It's a positive thing, indicative of their impact on culture, their talent and creativity which led them to success.

She did Marilyn the best, hands down

She does too

I actually said Marilyn + all of the hollywood icons she has referenced.

Even in the video had you bothered to watch it you would see Madonna list them off and say that she "crawls in their footsteps"

Oh how I love doing this to you, bang up.

You can "accuse" all you want ! It can be 1, 100 ou 10.000 people accusing you of something but, did they actually prove their point ??
Madonna has never been considered 'guilty' of plagiarism , NEVER.

So, I think you should be the one to "get to work, sis"

Me too! FYI: You're one of my faves from the monster base.

You are too

I rate you so highly as a member actually.

Swag <3

Madonna wanted to turn the 'victim' image around

[X]

Madonna has always been about self empowerment. Which is what I love about her.

Instead of following the "ugly ducking" marketing scheme she created her own path of self empowerment.