Betcha' didn't know

..that I am a die hard Madonna fan.

This is nothing new, as a little girl I used to tape (!) her songs whenever they played on the radio and then record myself singing them. Can you say bootleg karaoke? I recently found one of these tapes starring my best friend at the time, Diane Zimmerman, and yours truly, performing "Like a Virgin", actually we were singing "Like a Burden" because we were like seven years old and had no idea what a virgin was. Good times!

It gets worse, in 1990 when HBO aired the France performance of the Blond Ambition tour, I recorded it and watched it no less than 100 times. To this day, I remember almost every song and dance move from that show - beginning to end. (stop laughing!)

It is said that we're often attracted to the things in others that we wish to see in ourselves. This could be why respect Madonna, specifically her work ethic. Love or hate her, you know her because she's been working tirelessly for over 25 years to make sure she stays on the Pop Culture radar. With every album, she not only re-creates her image, she also takes her sound in new directions. Truthfully, there were a few albums that I just couldn't get into, so for a year or so I would just move on to another pop princess to satisfy my "inner Becky". (Betcha' didn't know I have 14 year old white girl tendencies either, but that's another post all together).

Beyond the music, she's always claimed to be an advocate for women as well as freedom of feminine expression. Her critics were particularly concerned with the sexual expression part, calling it irresponsible and pornographic. One one hand, I agree with the critics, you have to be careful when the children are watching, but on the other hand, however,in the company of adults, women need to discuss the importance of becoming comfortable with our sexuality. I believe the more control we have over how we feel about ourselves and how we choose to express these very natural feelings and desires, the less likely we are to stand back and allow men to define us according to how they believe we should think or behave. I plan on doing an entire Cocoa Mode show on this but until then, I digress.

I also admire the work she's done with AIDS prevention and awareness and her recent work with UNICEF. With wealth and power comes responsibility. So many of the rich and powerful don't get it, so when I see someone who does, I pay attention.
Oh did I mention, she looks damn good for her age. Can u say 50 and fabulous?? Jogging, Yoga and a strict diet can do that for you too!
I could go on and on but I'll spare you, instead I'll hit you with one of my favorite Madonna songs and videos. Take a moment and really listen to the words.

"You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn't right then move on
Second best is never enough
You'll do much better baby on your own."

Truth.