**Sigh.** I posted this in the Madonna thread, but I'll cut-and-paste it here too. Just change all the Britney references to Shania. (My own personal opinion of Shania is that, a) I'm proud that she's Canadian, and b) although her crossover appeal is impressive, that's her only cultural achievement: she's made country music more accessible. But she's no Madonna, who has really changed the very idea of a "female star" and what a female celebrity can do.)
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Well, if Jim thinks Shania is queen, you can bet I won't be downloading HIS music.
Back to Madonna:
Do I think she's still Queen? Well, if she's not, then there's still no one sitting on the throne. I'd say on the international level, Madonna still reigns supreme. She may not be as popular in the US (one can argue that it was due to her strong political statements before the war on Iraq that she fell; after all, her previous album "Music" delivered one of the biggest #1 singles of her career); but Madonna is still the biggest artist in the rest of the world, especially Europe.
I find the Madonna-Britney comparisons rather rediculous. It's true that Britney courts controversy just like Madonna did in the 80s; however, with Britney there's very little intellectual provocation. robbiej has described very eloquently how Madonna's roots have made her a very different cultural icon. Indeed, while Britney partied it up with Mickey Mouse, Madonna was living off the streets of New York, hanging out with artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Thus, Madonna's work -- her music, video, and persona -- has always been much more politically active and culturally aware than Britney's.
The most political thing Britney has ever done was support the President; in contrast, Madonna was pushing the buttons of gender, politics, sexuality, art (so many of her videos are inspired by movements like German expressionism and art deco), RACE (a few of my professors still lambast Madonna for "appropriating" black culture, as if it's forbidden property), and media.
Madonna's cultural impact is, of course, influenced by the period of her fame. Her explosion on the cultural scene was in defiance of the regimes of Regan and Thatcher; Madonna's presence like a big "f*ck you" to social conservatism. Madonna actually made Pop a political force. She was (and continues to be) RELEVANT.
It's almost depressing how separated popular culture is now from politics and activism. Nothing Britney has done seems to have any relevance to the world. Can we really learn about art history from studying a Britney video like we can from a Madonna video? For all the flesh Britney bares, has she ever said one thing to further the status of women or their empowerment? For all her gay dancers, has Britney ever made any attempt to take a stand on gay rights or gay marriage? *sigh* no. Unlike Madonna, a cultural force to be reckoned with, Britney is a politically-silent corporate puppet.
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Again, you can change "Britney" to "Shania" and it'll still make sense.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
