ABSTRACT
One of the most noticeable aspects of Madonna's music videos is the (sexual) presentation of her body. Discussions of Madonna in gender studies seem broadly divided between those who reclaim her for a feminist analysis, and those who believe that she is only helping to reinforce stereotypes of gender binarisms. This chapter shows how these polarizations have arisen, and to determine to what extent Madonna can be seen as the conventional model of 'womanliness'. It also shows how the concept of masquerade functions meaningfully in her work, and how Madonna's treatment of this idea both espouses and rejects the stereotype of 'womanliness'. The chapter argues that there is a connection, hitherto unacknowledged, between queerly sexualized images in Madonna's video clips and certain concepts in the history of ideas. The hermetical and alchemical connections have not previously been noted, but this reading shows another fascinating aspect of Madonna's work.
