So what’s this “I kissed a girl and I liked it” song all about eh?
Full points for originality definitely, but when I hear giggling little girls singing it while walking in the streets I can’t help thinking whether it confuses them or whether this new age generation does have an extensive knowledge of sexual liberty and variety of sexual orientation AND how they have acquired that knowledge.
Please, do not for one minute, think I’m being all prudish or throwing myself into a frenzied full fledged “what are we teaching our children?” or that in any way am I one of these people who give boys “G.I. Joe” to play with and expect girls to wear what “Barbie” seems to have thrown up on them - pink apparel. However it does concern me that we sometimes confuse, the very naïve younger generation who get influenced so easily!
For those of you who grew up watching Italia Uno’s “Bim Bum Bam” you might join me in my confused state of mind whilst I remember watching ‘Lady Oscar’ and thinking “that man with long blonde hair really looks like a woman and talks like one too….’ Or maybe you were shocked also during that episode of “Georgie” when she dressed up as a boy and got into a fight and her shirt ripped open you could see a mammary pop out…. That was manga, but …..were we meant to be watching that? Were boys the tender age of 8 meant to lust after the gorgeous “Margot?”
What I’m asking is, were we meant to have sexual innuendos thrown at us at such a young age? You definitely can’t keep a child locked up and there’s only so much one can do to avoid them being exposed to sex, violence and cruelty at such a young age. However, all of this surrounds us and it impresses children and adults alike.
I remember my teacher asking me “Ira, what do you want to become when you grow up?” Now at that time Madonna was at the peak of her success with the song ‘Like a Virgin’, her racy video was on Music TV every day on rotation and I thought she was dynamic. I wanted to be beautiful, confident and a singer like her, but my reply to my teacher was “I want to be sexy” …please note I was 6 years old!!! Can you imagine the look on that teacher’s face?
In my mind, to be ‘sexy’ was to be a successful performer. There was no way I wanted to be Cristina D’Avena ironically singing sugary sweet theme tunes to those manga cartoons we’d watch, nahhh I wanted to sing about naughty stuff, lyrics that would cause a sensation just like that Katie Perry girl’s doing right now. Stir a bit of commotion!
My mother was obviously not very into Madonna’s ways, but I defended her for years to come, I thought her liberal ways and out spoken attitude got her places, and watching her last week in Wembley Stadium was definitely an experience. She was flat through most of her set, but as a paper in London read, “Who goes to watch Madonna to hear her sing?” I thought that was a nasty comment but secretly I kept thinking “Can’t you at least tune up during the song Madge love?” hehehehe
She made up for it though by wearing skimpy outfits and throwing herself into acrobatic routines which left the audience flabbergasted…she’s 50 for Pete’s sake!!!
By the way Mrs. Ritchie still does that ‘subtle’ simulation thing till today… I overheard this young girl ask her mother in a strong London accent “mum what’s she doing?” , I didn’t know what to think of that, if it was a moment of innocence or if it was that girl’s shock at Madge’s naughty ways at her age!