Popular Culture Review Vol. 3, No. 2, August 1992 | Page 27

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both images, far from being a non-position, is in itself a powerful
political assertion against an economy of psychological amputation.
If men (and women) are to be loved without reference to their
economic status, they must relinquish the economic tyranny they hold
over those they oppress, otherwise the choice, as the video
indicates, is unacceptable.
Madonna's video work has been unquestionably important to
her success in yet another way. "MTV constantly comments upon the
self in relation to the image (especially the TV image) to the extent
that this commentary can be seen as its main 'content'" (Kaplan, 1987,
247). It is the blurring of sexual and psychological boundaries which
Lisa Lewis identifies as making MTV especially conducive to female
address, in such videos as Madonna's "Borderline,” where a female
protagonist invades traditionally male-dominated spaces while
validating formerly denigrated female ones (8-9).
In another work. Madonna emulates the male subject-cross
dressing, grabbing her crotch-yet, by never completely relinquishing
the female persona, she manages to absorb into the traditionally
inscribed body all the excess of power formerly reserved for men. An
example is the song "Cry Baby" from the I'm Breathless album.
Actually, the entire album is a rendering of the 20's images of women:
dumb blondes, power-hungry vamps, or flappers. "Cry Baby" depicts
the singer's annoyance at her lover's emotionalism. The "cry baby,
boy" dashes off to the bathroom, unable to hear even so much as a
sentintental tune without breaking down. Toward the end of the song,
the background hums with the miserable weeping of the supposed
boyfriend (obviously Madonna's lower voice register) until the singer
demands "knock it off, please!" and the crying finally remits.
Clearly the song stakes out its gendered terrain since the
complaint is a familiar male lament about women who behave
precisely the way the "baby" of the song does. As the coquettish
fenaale vocalist becomes more and more exasperated, she remarks
that her "baby" is "worse than Betty Sue," worse, that is, than a
woman. The spoof is achieved through the inversion of gender roles.
Madonna creates a breach in the customary male complaint by
generating it from the small, child like female voice. By ending the
song with the conciliatory "thank you,” she further underscores the
playfulness of the complaint against the lush excess and sensuality of
the weeping. The song delicately deconstructs the traditional male