It's Wednesday morning. I should be cramming for a 1 PM quiz in Systematic Theology class, but I just finished watching last night's episode of Glee entitled "The Power of Madonna."
I'm an Evangelical Christian and the topic of Madonna is generally frowned upon by Evangelicals who generally don't care for her sexual expression, her lifestyle choices, her Kabbalah bracelets, and the blending of Christian overtones into songs such as, "Like a Prayer." However, on this topic, I confess I am a mixed breed. As a personality, I have never felt connected to Madonna in any way, but her music is the music that I used to sing into the fire place poker and jump off the hearth singing from the age of 6. Of course, my mom did not appreciate when I told my Christian kindergarten teacher that my favorite song was, "Papa, Don't Preach." Never mind that I thought the song was called, "Papadon, Preach!" My early start with Madonna is more of a family joke than anything, but the first time I sang karaoke, it was "Like a Prayer" that I chose to belt out.
Since I was a child of the 80s, Madonna was a given, but I lost track of some of her songs in the 90s and onward. I was too busy to engage with her constant evolution, but today, Glee interpreted Madonna for me and I was into it. I loved watching the way Madonna's confidence took over the school and the ordinary social caste system of high school became transformed. Even Mr. Shu channeled Madonna by finally coming up with a comeback to Sue Sylvester. When Finn and Rachel sang, "Open Your Heart," the beat and the vocals captured me like I was 6 years-old jumping off that hearth again, or like I was a teenager dealing with teenage romantic angst all over again. I'm not sure which, maybe it was both.
I confess that when "Like a Virgin" became the backdrop for three scenes with three couples I began to cringe. Yes, the vocals and the arrangement were brilliant, but it felt gratuitous and sad. I did not want Rachel to sleep with Jesse or Finn to sleep with Santana because of pressure for revenge. I knew they would regret it, like Finn ultimately did. Yet, Glee went beyond the high school cliche. Instead of using "Like a Virgin" to explain three intimate encounters in the show, two of the three encounters never happened and the third was a huge let down. This was the launching point for Glee to round out the episode's commentary on gender relationships.
Keeping to the show's mantra that they are the show for the underdog, Glee took the perspective of those who usually lose out in the gender dynamics game of high school--the girls. In a world where girls tend to define themselves by the attention they get (or don't get) from the guys, Glee offered a commentary using Madonna's empowerment legacy that left me in a near spiritual encounter.
Ironically, in April 2001, when I was busy dating my future husband, Madonna apparently came out with a single that I don't recall ever hearing. Glee ended the episode with the boys from the glee club and Mr. Shu sitting around the piano with the music for Madonna's "What It Feels Like For a Girl." Finn begins somberly with the spoken commentary in the beginning of Madonna's song, "Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots because its okay to be a boy." Artie picks up with the same somber tone, "But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading 'cause you think that being a girl is degrading." The lyrics expose the guys for their disrespectful actions and attitudes toward the girls in their lives. The singing begins and when they use their voices to declare, "Strong inside but you don't know it. When you open up your mouth could you be a little weak? Do you know what it feels like in this world for a girl?" the mood changes from guilt to a new perspective, as if the boys really are standing in the place that Madonna is asking them to stand in her song.
I'm a girl. I am raising a girl. Do you know what it feels like in this world for a girl? I hope you watch Glee and find out. The episode is named "The Power of Madonna," but the true power turns out to be the power of Glee. Within the show's ongoing commentary about the trials of high school self-acceptance and self-discovery, Madonna's lyrics take on a profound meaning. They are not just a sad and reflective statement on the part of the female writer. True to Glee's ongoing character as the show that highlights the unpopular, the boys in Glee take on the voice and begin to understand just a little of what it feels like for a girl. I don't remember Madonna's 2001 single having a big impact because I don't ever remember hearing it, but I hope this episode of Glee impacts the young people watching it. This show is about making powerful statements on behalf of those who are underrepresented in the narrowly popular social crowd of high school. Last night, they bravely went one step further and made a powerful statement on behalf of 50% of William McKinley high school.
Comments (3)
interesting --i haven't watched Glee at all but now I want to see this episode! I took a class in college where we had to read, "SchoolGirls" by Peggy Orenstein and after reading it I decided I want to homeschool my children (both boy and girl) during middle school --the dynamics she touched on were exactly those that this Glee episode was about. It's a good read if you're ok with crying and going through another middle school identify crisis as a girl! LOL. But no really, it's worth reading!
great post Lisa. As one of my favorite female rockers Gwen Stefani sings "I'm just a girl in the world."
such a great post. I'm linking it! :)