I’m not a huge football fan, though I can enjoy watching a game or two. But honestly, when it comes to the Super Bowl, it really is the commercials and the half-time show that get my attention. This year, I was even more interested in the half-time show because one of my teenage idols was performing – Madonna.

I loved Madonna when I was a teenager. I wore the bow in my tousled hair, the cross earring, and the cross necklace. I had jelly bracelets and wore bobby socks with heels. I even went as far as wearing mini-skirts and layered tops. Of course, I had to change into them once I got to school because there was no way my Mom was going to let out of the house dressed like that. (Sorry if you didn’t already know about that one Mom! 🙂  )

Madonna’s The Virgin Tours was the first concert I ever went to, and at night I’d blare Lucky Star, Like a Virgin, and Material Girl from my old radio and dance around my room totally inhibited. Only because I was alone and no one in the world could see me with the curtains shut, otherwise, there would have been no dancing like the star-crazed teenager that I was.

Back then, I was in awe of Madonna’s bravery of being different, rebellious even, in the public eye. Her “Boy-Toy” belt buckle and skimpy dress raised many concerns for parents and caught the eye of teenage boys everywhere. She was bold. She was brass. She was my idol. I think it was because, to me, she symbolized freedom. Freedom to follow your own path, be who you want, and to face challenges head-on. Freedom to work hard and follow your dreams.

And as a teenager, these were all the things that I longed for. I was trying to figure out who I was, where I was going, and how I would get there. And Madonna gave me inspiration and hope that I would figure it all out eventually.

Of course, as I grew and as I answered a few of those questions, my idols and interests changed. But Madonna always remained on my list of respected women. I didn’t always agree with everything she did or said, but she was a strong force for me in my youth. You don’t forget those kinds of influences.  And sometimes you find yourself sitting on a friend’s couch watching the Super Bowl half-time show, laughing at all the things you did to mimic your teen idol, and feeling really old when your friend’s kid says, “Who is that?”

So who was your teen idol and why? Did you try to mimic them in any way? Come on, you know you did… so tell me!