She presents herself on stage and in videos with an exaggerated sexuality. Her first hit was Like a Virgin 1984; others include Material Girl 1985 and Like a Prayer 1989. Her films include Desperately Seeking Susan 1985, Dick Tracy 1990, the documentary In Bed with Madonna 1991, and A League of Their Own 1992. In the early years of her career she frequently employed Catholic trappings in her dress and stage show. Her book Sex, a collection of glossy, erotic photographs interspersed with explicit fantasies in the form of short stories, was published 1992, coinciding with the release of the dance album Erotica.
