From goth to cowgirl and sex positive queen: Our favourite stages of Madonna in honour of her 60th birthday
It is Madonnas 60th birthday, and while were celebrating the Queen Of Pop, were basically celebrating the birthdays of 20 different artists.
Madonna Louise Ciccone is the champion of reinvention, going through countless looks and sounds since her debut with Everybody in 1982.
What other woman could take on cowgirl chic, fetish wear, the military, old school glamour and hip-hop and emerge unscathed? (Well, not counting that tumble off the Brits stage.)
So, in honour of the icons big 6-0, we are taking a look at our favourite stages of Madonna. She may excite, she may baffle, she may downright disappoint sometimes – but you can never say shes dull.
Goth Madonna
Madonna was a provocative pop princess in the 80s, but in the 90s, she embraced the black hair dye and resting bitch face.
Frozen, the lead single from Madonnas seventh album Ray Of Light (1998), was accompanied by an eerie video in which a raven-haired Madge stood in the desert in a black Gothic gown.
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She shapeshifts into a dog and a flock of birds while singing the melancholy lyrics against the gloomy backdrop. My Chemical Romance, eat your heart out.
Marie Antoinette Madonna
Sure, the video for Vogue is iconic, with the black and white video showing off vogeuing to perfection while Madonna oozes androgynous glamour.
But hats must be tipped to her performance of the classic at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, during which Madonna donned full face powder, wig and Roccoco attire to take
Vogue back to days of Marie Antoinette.
Didnt we tell you Madge was a queen?
Disco Madonna
In 2005, Madonna returned with her album Confessions On A Dance Floor, and introduced ABBA to a whole new audience.
She sampled Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! the albums lead single Hung Up, and accompanied the track with a video that somehow meshed fuschia leotards, Soul Train dance moves and a Dance Dance Revolution machine seamlessly.
Not only is Madonnas dancing queen aesthetic iconic, but she broke eight bones in a horse-riding accent just weeks before filming the video for Hung Up. Your fave could never.
Marilyn Madonna
Madonnas Material Girl is so synonymous with Marilyn Monroe that the video flashes into our minds when we think of Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend.
The popstar paid tribute to Marilyns performance of the song in Gentleman Prefer Blondes for her 1984 single, wearing the same pink strapless silk gown and gloves with lashings of diamonds. Material Girl is the perfect example of how Madonna utilised, embraced and exploited sexuality on her own terms.
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Cowgirl Madonna
Breaking into the 21st century, Madonna chose to reinvent herself as a western diva – and why not?
The video for 2000s Dont Tell Me saw Madge striding down a dirt road – well, in front of a green screen of a dirt road – in bootcut jeans and a plaid shirt.
She even threw in some line-dancing, showing she was totes committed to the country vibe. Well, until her next video.
Clumsy matador Madonna
In 2015, Madonna blessed the Brit Awards with her presence, closing the awards show with a performance of her single Living For Love.
Madonna walked on stage in a glittering cape which was meant to be ripped off her – unfortunately, the cape got caught and Madge was ripped right off the stage with it.
Once she got up and danced off her dead leg, though, she showed off a killer matador ensemble, complete with a decorative bolero. Thats what we call a lewk.
Lesbian bride Madonna
Ah, the 2003 MTV VMAs. We cannot remember a single thing that happened at that show other than Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Madonnas performance.
Dressed in black and a top hat, Madonna sang her single Hollywood as she danced with the two pop princesses, who were dressed in bridal wear.
And then came the kisses that echoed around the world, with Madge planting smackers on both Britney and Christina before Missy Elliott stormed the stage. A pop culture moment if there ever was one.
Sex positive Madonna
Madonna and sex have always been linked, with her 1992 album Erotica released simultaneously alongside a book of explicit photographs of herself aptly named Sex.
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A feminist icon, no female popstar better embraced their sexuality than Madonna, with the star unapologetically oozing sex appeal and power at every turn.
This is no more evident than in the video for Justify My Love, which saw Madonna witness sex acts occurring in hotel rooms before being seduced by a man and a woman.
The video caused much controversy for its depictions of bondage, voyeurism and bisexuality, and was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV, being banned from the network.
Blasphemer Madonna
Like A Prayer is a masterpiece. The video for the 1989 single sees Madonna witness a murder of a girl by white supremacists, which is blamed on a black man.
In the video, Madonna dances in front of burning crosses, providing an iconic image for the late 80s that has stayed with Madge throughout her career.
The video was hugely controversial, with the Vatican condemning it and Pepsi cancelling their campaign with Madonna.
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