After 50 years, over a dozen albums, at least two accents, and who knows how many yards of red string, Madonna is still still trying to find herself. At least, that's the line that she sold to Vanity Fair and that they're running with:
As she nears 50, Madonna's narrative is shifting. Yes, there's another new super-pop album, Hard Candy, with Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams. But there's also Filth And Wisdom, the feature film she's co-written, produced, and directed, and I Am Because We Are, her documentary on Malawi, the aids-ravaged country where she controversially adopted her third child. Whisked to L.A. for an intense prep session, followed by an almost two-hour interview, the author explores the evolution of the Madonna myth as she harnesses her image-making genius to a cause, a philosophy, and the search for her true self.
First off, the "Madonna's narrative is shifting" is the longest running narrative in pop history. In fact, Madonna tries new things with her image so often that at this point it would only be notable if she stuck with something for 10 years. Like, say, if she decided one day that her new image would be "Doctor/Pop Star" and she studied for the MCAT, got into medical school, and worked toward becoming a dermatologist. That would be interesting. The Madonna-is-trying-something-new-with-her-image story just isn't anymore.
Secondly, I think Madonna knows exactly who Madonna's "true self" is: shrewd pop icon who invariably knows how to get magazine writers to comment on her "image-making genius." Either that, or she sees herself as some kind of leotarded faux-aristocrat who is the only person who truly understands the world.