Music Icons example essay topic

Who do I believe is an American icon; someone whom I believe Americans truly worship? Honestly, I personally do not have any icons. I have never felt the need to be like someone else. I have never looked towards others to draw strength or inspiration from. I have never aspired to be like someone else, and growing up, I never thought it impossible to measure up to true greatness. It is impossible for me to identify a person whom American society recognizes as an icon simply because I recognize myself as an individual.

As a society, people do look to icons as guides to their own lives, yet as individuals, we tend to look to ourselves. Yes, I recognize the need that societies have for icons. I also recognize the benefits of having someone such as an icon who represents the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of others. However, it is not necessary for me to believe in an American icon in order to acknowledge or understand the existence of them. However, there are people that can be considered icons. Especially, people can have icons when it comes to a popular culture.

Music icons are vivid examples of what an icon can be for the society. In my opinion, Madonna can be a perfect example of what icon in our society is. In today's music videos the audience is faced with the confronting image of rampant commercialism mixed with mediocre production values. How is the viewer supposed to react to the fashion, magazines, and the aura of stars in music videos? More importantly, can the audience actually derive any realistic and honest meanings from music videos? Music video can be very influential in how society perceives itself; however, it does not mirror society's values, glorifying poor moral values and condemning normality.

Therefore, viewers have a choice to interpret the clip based on their own meanings and values; they may take it seriously or render it as redundant and meaningless banter which serves no real use (apart from momentary entertainment) to society. Nevertheless, the majority of our society accepts Madonna, moreover, for lots of people Madonna is an icon. Madonna, conversely, is concerned with the plight of the female and gender stereotypes. She does not allow her body to be dismantled and objectified nor does she provide messages for men that lead to abuse, rape or death of women.

She has used her sexuality to empower herself showing a natural flair for independence and power. She is a real icon. The only meaning Madonna is trying to convey in her music videos is that each person can control their sexuality and social identity, and that these things are not pre-determined. This is what makes Madonna so popular and this is what people like about her, which shows that Madonna is an icon.

Madonna knows of the aura of power that is inherently held by music stars proclaiming, Power is a great aphrodisiac, and Im a very powerful person and I want to conquer the world. Actually, Madonna conquered the world. Madonna should be also respected because she reached her goals, which certainly were not the easy ones. However, she has rarely wandered from the normal promotional responsibilities of a contemporary artist, so is her power more of a mass media creation? Madonnas phenomenal popularity simply cannot be accounted for by her music, her personality, or even her sexuality. Once People magazine asked a question about Madonna, But is she really beautiful? and answers, Of course shes beautiful.

That comes with the territory, with the power (People, 1991: 109). Her vast amount of power can be sourced to the mass media where society's dominant ideologies suggest the need for cultural icons (role models) and her admirable spirit, independence, self-determination and upbringing (rags to riches) make her an icon. Madonna has used media savvy (manipulation) to carefully construct her own image to become a superstar, where her celebrity status has virtually reduced her music, dancing and acting to irrelevancy. In fact, Madonna is more than famous as she has defined fame for the 80's and now, and is not just a person known as a celebrity but (as someone who has) kind of defined it in a way. However, despite her celebrity status we see little of her personality, an important aspect in understanding the meaning of music videos; in the 90's, much has changed, where as someone who has) kind of defined it in a way..