Question A - Madonna and Feminism

Being a white male I do not spend much time thinking about feminism or sexism in our society, so listening to Hook's concepts of Madonna and how the media displays feminism was enlightening. Hook discussed how at times some people felt there was an unfair feminist criticism towards Madonna but that it was Madonna who in fact put herself in this position to garner this attention because she wanted to break the sexist mold in the music industry and bring it to a new level. What I believe Hook was saying and I agree with, is that Madonna used her sexism to gain popularity and took it to such new levels to gain even more attention through debates and controversy. From doing sexy photo shoots to wearing scandalous outfits while performing Madonna was always trying to break the mold of her industry. Hook states even when Madonna began to age that the reinvention of herself became a reattachment to sexism to reclaim interest. The media plays such a big role in our society that the impression it can leave in our minds about something like sex attached to Madonna plays a huge factor. In my opinion the media for the most part plays a negative role in our society because we can rely on it too much for information or our social norms. Hook describes Madonna as using her sex appeal in the media to make money and become this icon of sex, which sells.