Throughout my whole life, when I tell people that I was introduced to Madonna's message and music at a very young age they are often shocked or confused. Recently, Billboard named Madonna their 2016 Woman Of The Year. As the most honored woman of the event, Madonna gave an inspiring ten-minute speech talking about the constant bullying she has received over her thirty-four-year career. Madonna is known for being a lot of things, but intelligent is not usually the personality trait that first comes to mind. People normally associate her with being overtly sexual and being "controversial". Her whole career has reflected how our society as a whole views women. Her speech shows that we have definitely progressed since she started her career in the 80's but we still have a lot of work to do.
"I stand before you as a doormat. Oh, I mean, as a female entertainer. Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant abuse."
Female artists today have more freedom to be rebellious, sexual, and honest than they did when Madonna's career started. They will still be criticized for it by someone, now that we have the internet, but it's not surprising. Despite this normalcy, female artists also have to work twice as hard as their male counterparts to be on the same level as them. For example, the boy band One Direction rose to fame essentially overnight. They offered the music industry catchy pop songs and cute looks but that was basically it. Their songs were all generic and about romance, they had no choreography, and no important message to the world. Then we have Fifth Harmony, their female counterpart. They were both put together by Simon Cowell on the X Factor and came in third place on the show. Fifth Harmony differs from One Direction because they have intense choreography and an empowering message about self-confidence. Why did it take so much longer for Fifth Harmony to rise to fame? They have been torn down for their hit song "Worth It" being about sex, much like how Madonna was treated in her early career for embracing her sexuality. They have also been called out for wearing "revealing" outfits. Madonna has faced this issue throughout her whole timeline as a performer.
Comparing the treatment of a female artist that has established herself through a long, successful career to today's rising stars shows us that even though we say we have progressed, not much has changed in the music industry for women.
