Celebrity adoptions are nothing new. Angelina Jolie, Meg Ryan and Ewan McGregor have all adopted children from developing countries. But it was Madonna’s decision to take David Banda from Malawi that captured the world’s attention and a torrent of negative headlines. Madonna has always thrived on controversy, so why did this particular episode backfire so spectacularly?
The adoption was a media circus from the get-go. Madonna’s arrival in Malawi, flanked by teams of security guards sporting oversized shades, reeked of an all-too-obvious attempt to re-brand the celebrity and boost a fledgling career.
The prima dona clearly acted first and thought later (if at all), fast tracking Malawi’s adoption
system in the process. Revelations that the boy, David, had a father and grandmother were bad enough. But when Madonna left it up to her nanny to bring her new son home covered in a blanket, it came across more like child abduction than child adoption. And subsequent visits to the gym when the media were, instead, expecting Madonna to be at home with her new boy, sealed the daring diva’s fate from an image standpoint.
Madonna has since attempted to ‘justify her love’ and the adoption’s positive side in a series of carefully controlled, high profile television appearances. But , even on Oprah, Madonna’s image and reputation blunders continued as she revealed that David’s mother and siblings had died of AIDS. This shocker caused people lots of pain, considering the social stigma the disease still caries in Africa. Madonna either didn’t know about the impact her words would create, or didn’t care. For a woman in her position, I’m not sure which is worse.
Madonna’s image control has failed to present the adoption in the best possible light. But the master of spin has overcome far greater odds and bounced back. I, for one, can’t wait to see what rabbit she pulls out of the hat this time.
Hat tip to Zara Gibb for this.
I hate it when people report opinion as news, and this is all you have done. Madonna did not decide to adopt at the last minute. If you bothered to do research you would know Madonna and Guy had been trying to concieve naturally for close to three years before deciding to adopt and she intended for the focus of her trip to africa to be about her charity and not her decision to adopt but the press focused not on her humanitarian aid but her personal and private decision to adopt. Only the press has said anything negative, when you own the peper you can spin the story however, bu this is obvious slander. The press has always had a love hate relationship with madonna. This was no publicity stunt and if she gave up the child now it would be cruel. This child now knows what it is like to wake up in a mansion , travel by private jet, and be able to get whatever he wants, should he be made to give this up because some media guys that never liked madonna in the first place want to say she is trying to rebuild her career, im sorry did you make 193 million dollars in four months, doubt it! Did your last album sale over 8 million copies, and go to number one in 29 countries?? Her career is not over idiots! Many people better than you have tried to end her career, better people than you and she is still here and she will be ten years from now, if she wants. Give it up media, you cannot break her!