Perhaps the most famous fashion song of all time is Madonna’s “Vogue.” Contrary to popular assumption, it’s not specifically about the magazine. Voguing was a type of dancing popular in underground gay clubs in the 1980s, with moves that imitated Hollywood stars and magazine cover models. Having established herself as a provocateur, dance-pop queen Madonna now wanted to bring this subculture to the masses. After her commanding exhortation, “Strike a pose,” she sings about letting loose on the dancefloor and finding beauty in what you choose. The spoken word homage to fashion icons—Jean Harlow, Jimmy Dean and Marilyn Monroe, among others—towards the end caps off a tune that celebrates the transformative power of dancing and the self-reinvention that fashion can enable. And lest anyone think that she had lost her edge, the accompanying black-and-white video featured the singer wearing a revealing sheer lace blouse sans bra.
