After 30 years in the industry, Madonna has made one thing clear: The title of her new album “Rebel Heart” is not an empty moniker.
The mind boggles when attempting to contextualize Madonna's nerviness in the history of popular culture. She's the 20th century's George Sand, a feminist iconoclast whose stardom, philosophy, and career works all seem like cohesive elements of the same canvas. She's been beatified, vilified, exalted, and dismissed, sometimes by the same people. Her greatest trick has been (seemingly) enjoying every step of her controversial journey and embracing the vacillating response to her act like a true celebrity descendent of Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, and Frida Kahlo.
To celebrate her new album “Rebel Heart,” let's take a look back at Madonna's most rebellious career moments to date. In a career filled with insane controversies, Madonna's self-possession is enough to justify our love.