Who's That Girl: The Early Marxism of Madonna
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Who's That Girl
sfrsez — 12 years ago(January 28, 2014 03:00 PM)
Before she appeared in a series of Freudian dramas (Body of Evidence, Dangerous Game, Evita), Madonna experimented with juxtaposing the Nabokovian ideal of naive nymphette (see Desperately Seeking Susan) with that of unabashed working-class sexuality. What results is a masterpiece of subtle Neo-Marxist Feminism, culminated in the character of Nikki Fin. At the onset we're forced to inquire about Nikki's identity: Really, who is that girl? Is she dressing that way intentionally? Does her sartorial behavior undermine or fuel her existential yearnings? Disguised as a comedy, Who's That Girl toys with the notion that under certain social imperatives (read capitalism reeling from Reaganomics) women must find purpose by not simply exercising hostility on their male peers, but expect social gain and subordination from their attempts. Can I recommend Who's That Girl? Wholeheartedly, I can.
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niemandrj — 12 years ago(February 13, 2014 12:56 PM)
Very nice analysis, srfez, do you think 80's flicks like Who's that Girl, Desperately Seeking Susan and Something Wild all capture that kind of female empowerment ? I particularly love all of them, my idealized female being the strong-willed rebel. What do you think about later female empowerment films ?
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sfrsez — 12 years ago(February 13, 2014 02:19 PM)
The issue of empowerment is a difficult one. To what extent does a lady have to fight in order to regain her place/dignity. In who's that girl she verges on being vulgar, and that means losing her own femininity. that is not a winning formula..
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niemandrj — 12 years ago(February 20, 2014 09:17 AM)
But look at the opposite side on all those 80's movies: the liberation from 80's yuppie oppression/absession. So, Nikki's vulgarity, or, as you put it in your first post, unabashed working-class sexuality, might be the perfect sledgehammer.
Nowadays not so much, as capitalist discourse becomes more and more entwined with hedonism and the understanding of the individual as a brand, but for the 80's we might see it as liberating in some way, can't we ? -
sfrsez — 12 years ago(February 20, 2014 10:13 AM)
THIS GIRL HAS DONE TIME IN Prison. We can only guess at how this dramatic experience has modified her persona. It is why events in movies (especially with a violent motif) can never represent any real life experience.