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"I made it all up."

Revisiting Madonna’s erotic opus for her 66th birthday. These are some of my favorite, lesser-known images from “The Book.” Shot by Steven Meisel, 1992. For paid subscribers only.

“Nothing in this book is true. I made it all up.”

At the peak of AIDS hysteria, here was the biggest artist on the planet in androgynous-nymphomanic-pixie-dream-girl cosplay, fake gold tooth, blindfold, holding a horse whip, chuckling at the sweat of interviewers and censors, not just talking about “normal” sex but Gay sex, anal sex, S&M and condoms. In our family living rooms. Read the essay here.