We all know Madonna as the Queen of Vogue. But do you know that she also wears an eyepatch?
First gaining international attention for her eyepatch on the Graham Norton Show, she was labeled as looking ridiculous by the likes of Piers Morgan for wearing an eye patch without an actual eye problem, which Metro explains.
But if she doesn’t have an eye problem, then why is she wearing an eye mask? Well, it is all about embracing a new persona that she has given herself, dubbed Madame X. In an interview she did with Today, she explains that she wears the eye patch and dons a new identity because she is managing her new secret identity.
The eye patch and claims of having a new secret identity threw many people for a bit of a spin. They couldn’t quite understand what she was getting at. But, we can’t really be surprised though! Madonna has been changing her identity for decades, and it is her ability to continually reinvent herself that has kept her mainstream for all these years. Many artists only last at the top for a short period of time. The ones who continually reinvent themselves, like Madonna, Miley Cyrus, or Taylor Swift, are able to consistently break barriers and keep getting even more success coming their way.
Where do we even start when it comes to Madonna’s iconic personas. From creating a whole new dance style known as Vogue, releasing a pornographic coffee table book of provocative poses, or releasing the Grammy winning album Confessions on the Dance Floor, Madonna has worked hard for every ounce of success she has earned throughout the years.
And now we are at the eye patch. Critics seem split on this new Madonna. Some love the added layer of mystery it produces. Some hate it and say it doesn’t make sense. And others speculate that she might literally have an eye problem she has decided to glam up as much as possible.
To understand truly why Madonna now goes by Madame X and wears an eye patch, we must first look back at her life and career moves that have gotten her to this point.
Her early years
Much to many people’s surprise, Madonna’s real name is actually Madonna! Born in Michigan, she comes from an Italian family and has always had a love for music and dance. In fact, she studied dance at the University of Michigan and at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater before moving abroad to France. Her music always was catered towards upbeat music that anyone could dance to, which is exactly what her first hit single Holiday was! By the mid-1980s, Madonna’s musical career was on a quick ascension!
Queen of Videos
What set Madonna apart from other musicians during her early years was being a trend-setter for the way in which music videos were created. She saw them as pieces of art and engaged with the absolute best directors, designers, and videographers to create masterpieces for her music videos. Her videos always had a point to prove and she commonly used satirical imagery and dance moves to get her message across in her music videos. Some of her best early pieces included Like a Virgin, where her wardrobe was so controversial that it skyrocketed her album sales as a direct result! By embracing being this sort of social justice sex symbol, Madonna was making over a billion dollars in record sales at the start of the 1990s!
Queen of her Career
But it wasn’t just music videos that Madonna was passionate about controlling. She was adamant that she would control her own career as well, which is why she ended up making herself the head of a subsidiary of her record label Time Warner so that she could control her own image and her own finances. When you think about that period of time, Madonna was being a true trailblazer for independent females making their own way in the music industry!
Master of Many Genres
Madonna was not just the queen of the dance move Vogue or the queen of her own careers, she was the queen of also being an established artist who could collaborate with artists in all sorts of different genres. In 2008 she teamed up with Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams to make some epic collaborations. But she also loves to team up with other empowered female musicians, working with the likes Nicki Minaj, proving she really can do it all!
Always a Voice for Justice
It is not just with doing musical collaborations that Madonna shows her support for rappers. For example, she is an avid supporter of rapper Eminem. During a pre-COVID show at the beginning of 2020, the singing superstar took to the stage to applaud Eminem for his gun control advocacy, according to NME. To pay respect to Eminem, she performed a version of a song called The Sound of Silence, the same song that Eminem featured in his music video that demands tighter gun control laws in the USA. Eminem’s video came after the horrific gun incident at a country music festival in Las Vegas. She also took to twitter to further show her support. She also famously advocated for women’s rights at a women’s march last year, in which she performed in front of thousands of girls who she claims to stand with in their fight for justice and equal rights.
Full Circle with an Eye Patch
So when we look at Madonna’s life, are we really surprised that she wears an eye patch without actually needing to for medical reasons? Of course not! She has become famous for her ability to consistently morph her identity and re-create herself. Back when Madonna was a teenager and studying dance, one of her teachers dubbed her the nickname Madame X, as she was a challenging one to control. Now, as Madonna is in her 60’s, she has come full circle. She acknowledges that she is never in one spot for too long, is a lady of mystery, and is one who voices her mind and wants good in the world. Wearing the eye patch perfectly coincided with the release of her latest studio album which is titled, Madame X. As she already experienced the mass fans and crazy affairs that come with being a superstar, Madonna / Madame X is keeping this album tour a more personal affair and limiting the number of fans that can attend to ensure the experience remains intimate.
The eye patch is a refreshing reminder for us all actually. It reminds us that Madonna is back to her humble beginnings. She has not forgotten where she has come from, despite decades of success and being worth over a billion dollars. She still remembers the hard work and teachers that helped her have a successful career. She still remembers that it is her love for music and performing that keeps her going. At 60 years old, Madonna could easily retire.
But she keeps on singing, eye patch and all! And we can all agree she makes wearing an eye patch look super cool and we want one too! We also agree that we all can not wait to see what the next identity Madonna creates is.
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