Liam Kenney Core Post #4

 In bell hooks’ writing on Madonna, I was instantly reminded of French director Julie Delpy’s comments made at an interview in 2016 that recently went viral after Kieran Culkin’s physical reaction at the time spread across twitter. Delpy, a white woman, claimed she sometimes wished she was African American, echoing the sentiments of Madonna in the 80s. The ignorance of the statement, which hooks discusses in depth, is so emblematic of the larger problem of cultural appropriation as a whole, which has always been a massive issue, especially in discussions about music stars. It’s hard not to read hooks’ analysis of Madonna and not think back to Elvis and numerous other celebrities that continue to co-opt forms and styles from black culture and market it in a way far more agreeable to corporate creators of mass media. 

I thought hooks' writings on the “collective feeling of powerlessness,” felt by non-white and straight viewers of the film, was also fascinating in the way that so much of her writing about Madonna still speaks to how stars are treated in today’s media sphere. It’s interesting to see how the discussion around the role of stars engaging with social issues has barely changed. hooks brings up such an important point when discussing Madonna’s ability to show support for social causes, but still act as an agent of reinforcing the status quo that put the conditions in place. The idea of a star as someone who can both challenge and perpetuate the status quo to be a good way to examine the gray area of someone whose role is to make money through public appearance, the sort of celebrity limbo that happens when it comes time for them to participate in a massive social movement.