“Madonna remains the most visible performer on the planet, as well as one of the wealthiest, but would anyone seriously say that artistic self-development is her primary motivating principle? She is too busy with Kabbalah, fashion merchandising, adoption melodramas, the gym, and ill-starred horseback riding to study art.”

American academic, social critic, and feminist

Camille Anna Paglia is an American academic, social critic, and feminist. She taught at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia from 1984 until its closure in 2024. She is known for her sharp criticism of modern culture and for books such as Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson. Paglia has also argued against aspects of contemporary American feminism and post-structuralism. Her writing and commentary range across American culture, including visual art, music, and film history, and she is often associated with forceful, contrarian criticism.