Growing up with Madonna
Today in our For Inspiration corner here on MadonnaTribe we publish a letter “addressed to Madonna” that our reader Davina Ma wrote to put in words how she feels inspired by the Queen of Pop. Here it goes:
Dearest Madonna,
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
It all started back in 1989, at the tender age of three, in my small hometown of Salmon Arm, BC, Canada. My father, being one to make attempts at keeping current with popular culture, finally bought the True Blue album on cassette, three years after its release. From then on, every time our family would take a trip in the car, I would beg to listen to it.
From that moment on, I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough of your rhythmic beats and catchy lyrics. Even though I attempted to sing along with you, I was confused. I didn’t really understand who you were. Upon going to my mother for some answers, all she told me was, “That’s Madonna. She’s a famous singer.” Still puzzled, I picked up the cassette case and was immediately mesmerized. Not only were you stunningly beautiful on this cover, but there was something about you that was made you unique: you were bold, you were daring. It was this rebellious, scandalous nature that has kept me fascinated to this day.
As I grew up, I realized that there was more to you than what was projected by this Herb Ritts photograph. For over two decades, you resisted social norms, being quick to throw away traditional ideologies of submissive, obedient women. You were also unpredictably ambiguous, solely possessing the power to shift from one persona to the next. Later on in your career, you became enormously influential in the sexual liberation of women, unafraid to cross any boundaries of convention and/or break taboos. As a result of this, you achieved phenomenal success on an international scale and made it clear that it was nothing short of your own agency that made you, arguably, the most famous woman in the world.
Your confidence within yourself and all your endeavors has inspired me to reaffirm my own identity and believe in my own abilities. In turn, your unrivaled originality has led me to turn away from the crowd and stand on my own. In regards to us all, your tremendous achievements have showed that we, regardless of race, gender, class, sexuality, age and/or religion, are unlimited in our possibilities as long as we trust in ourselves.
Your music has also touched me on a personal level. It was through your self-revealing “Like a Prayer” album that I realized how parallel our childhoods were. Like your mother, mine also became ill with cancer when I was five. It was a miracle that she survived, and everyday since then, both my mother and I are reminded of how lucky we are to have each other.
This past summer, I took my her out to Toronto to see your Re-Invention Tour. When you finally rose out of the stage that night, after much anticipation and excitement, one of the most amazing nights of both of our lives began. To see you, not on a screen or in a magazine, but with our own eyes was indescribable. We were so overwhelmed that we had to hold back tears of joy. To meet you will always be a lifelong dream of mine, but for now, this memory is enough to keep me believing until that day comes.
Thank you, Madonna, for inspiring all of the little girls out there. Through your hard work, resilience, creativity, and intelligence, you will forever be an icon to those in the music industry and fans all across the world. It is undeniably clear that you exceedingly justify my love.
Sincerely,
Davina Ma
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