Aurora Starchild
Madonna is a revolutionary and she knows it. So, to celebrate, she recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of her legendary book Sex, by posting topless photos to Instagram stories. While barely censoring herself with emojis, the 64-year-old singer and icon spoke about her journey pushing the envelope of sexuality and female expression.
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Madonna’s Crusade to Free Human Sexuality Has Been Met with Much Resistance
“30 years ago I published a book called S.E.X.,” she wrote. “In addition to photos of me naked there were photos of Men kissing Men, Woman kissing Woman and Me kissing everyone. I also wrote about my sexual fantasies and shared my point of view about sexuality in an ironic way. I spent the next few years being interviewed by narrow minded people who tried to shame me for empowering myself as a Woman.” Madonna added that she was “called a whore, a witch, a heretic and the devil.”
It’s true. Sex was published on October 21, 1992, just one day after the release of her fifth studio album, Erotica. The book sparked waves of controversy. It was banned in several countries, including Ireland, Japan, India, and parts of Australia. The criticism she received was harsh, to say the least. Many said her career was over.
Sex Is Still The World’s Best-Selling Coffee Table Book, 30 Years Later.
But the book actually sold one million copies in its first year, spanning five languages and five continents. It was $50, which would be about $105 by today’s standards. Sex was on The New York Times Best Seller list for three straight weeks. Furthermore, it sold over 1.5 million copies and is still the world’s best-selling coffee table book. As for her album Erotica, it’s sold over 6 million copies worldwide. Also, the two were released simultaneously, and were largely associated with each other.
Bound in aluminum with the word “Sex” imprinted directly in the center, the book was a collection of Madonna’s sexual fantasies. Soft-core imagery and stories told by imaginary people, including her alter-ego, Dita, brought readers through a journey of erotic art and serious boundary pushing.
Sex was published by Warner Books, Maverick, and Callaway. After Madonna signed an agreement with Time Warner promising to not show images suggestive of religious imagery or, say, bestiality, she founded Maverick, which partnered with Time Warner. Somehow in doing that, she gained complete creative control over the book, which nullified the agreement to exclude certain content. The book ended up showing her in some extraordinarily, uh, immodest and to some, offensive, situations. That included prancing around naked near a dog and wearing a rabbit’s tail.
Madonna’s Book Openly Talks About… Um… Babies?
What’s more, the words contained in the book were also quite salacious.
“There is something comforting about being tied up. Like when you were a baby and your mother strapped you in the car seat. She wanted you to be safe. It was an act of love.”
“It’s hard to describe [my pussy] smells like a baby to me fresh and full of life. I love my pussy, it is the complete summation of my life… [it] is the temple of learning.”
So, it’s no wonder that many were upset at Madonna’s coffee table book. But after the initial upset cleared, the criticism seemed to wane a bit. And what was originally an over-the-top piece of art, one which upset many sects of people, became a bit of history.
In Madonna’s Instagram stories, she talks about this.
“Now Cardi B can sing about her WAP. Kim Kardashian can grace the cover of any magazine with her naked ass and Miley Cyrus can come in like a wrecking ball. You’re welcome bitches….” She finished the post with a clown emoji.
Cardi B Pushed Back at First
Initially, Cardi B was offended by the post, which she clarified was due to the “tone.”
“I literally [paid] this woman homage so many times cause I grew up listening to her,” Cardi B posted to Twitter. “She can make her point without putting clown emojis and getting slick out the mouth…These icons really become disappointments once u make it in the industry that’s why I keep to myself.” Cardi B included a screenshot of an old Instagram post where she was gushing over getting to work with Madonna. She spoke about her being an “idol,” performing Material Girl in a high school show, and listening to her “for hours.”
Those posts have since been deleted, though, and both Cardi B and Madonna have tweeted sweet things at each other. So, it’s all good.
“I talked to Madonna… It was beautiful,” wrote Cardi B. “Have a great day and drive safely yallll.”
It’s True. WAPS and Nips Are Closer to Freedom.
Amazingly, so much of what Madonna has done in the past that was considered too much or too far is now pretty mainstream. In fact, if you look up “nude” in Rare’s search bar, you’ll find countless articles that we’ve written about famous celebrities posting naked selfies or posing nude for cover shoots.
Martha Stewart posed nude on a giant seashell in 1996. Alec Baldwin’s daughter posed naked for PETA a couple years ago. Sharon Stone was baring her boobs all summer. And Gwyneth Paltrow posed nude while painted in gold just the other day. Britney Spears posted a nude selfie again… wait…
Further, now we have WAPS, we have Miley fearlessly swinging around on her wrecking ball. Kardashian and her butt implants. All of it.
The point is, no one is called a whore, witch, heretic, or the devil anymore. Sure, there might be some pushback, but not like, Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason or Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s all kind of just part of another day on the internet.
Here’s to Madonna, may her reign of Sex and ageless body live on and on forever.
