The lyrics identify with materialism, with Madonna asking for a rich and affluent life, and only wanting to date men who can offer her this.

Contemporary critics have frequently identified "Material Girl" along with "Like a Virgin" as the songs that established Madonna as an icon.

"Material Girl" was a commercial success, reaching the top-five in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Japan and United Kingdom.

Discovering that, contrary to her song, the young woman is not impressed by money and expensive gifts, he pretends to be penniless and succeeds in taking her out on a date.

[2] In 1986, Madonna told Company magazine, that although she did not write or create the song, the lyrical meaning and concept did apply to her situation at that point of time.

The song has a basic chord progression of F–G–Em–Am-F-G-C in the chorus, while the verses are based on the C mixolydian mode, giving a hip, swing-like mood.

[4][7] Following the song's release on November 30, 1984,[8] as the second single from Like a Virgin, "Material Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics.

"[4] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic said that "Material Girl" was one of the songs that made Madonna an icon, the other being "Like a Virgin" from the same album, both remaining as a definitive statement.

"[9] Debby Miller from Rolling Stone, felt that the song portrayed Madonna as a more practical girl than previous female singers.

[10] Dave Karger from Entertainment Weekly, while reviewing the album in 1995, felt that the song came off a bit repetitious and immature when compared to the present context.

"[17] Cashbox said that the song is "a playful follow-up to 'Like A Virgin'" which "still emphasizes a danceable backbeat, but...has a sense of humor and Madonna doesn't sound quite as squeaky as on past cuts.

[22][23] The week when the song slipped to position three, her upcoming single "Crazy for You" reached number four, giving Madonna two simultaneous top-five hits.

[40][41] The music video was inspired by Madonna's admiration of Marilyn Monroe and mimicked the latter's performance of the song "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

[2] In a 1987 interview with New York Daily News, Madonna said: Well, my favorite scene in all of Monroe's movies is when she does that dance sequence for 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend'.

It was produced by Simon Fields with principal photography by Peter Sinclair, editing by Glenn Morgan and choreography by Kenny Ortega.

[45] The background is a reconstruction of the Monroe video, complete with staircase, chandeliers and a number of tuxedo clad chorus boys.

[42] Madonna dances and sings the song, while she is showered with cash, expensive jewelry, furs and is carried by the men over the stairs.

He pretends to be penniless, and brings her hand-cut flowers while paying a poor man a large amount to borrow (or possibly buy) his dirty truck to take her on a date.

Details like the usage of different gloves or different fans in the video brought forth the connections between these women, but Madonna alluded to herself in subtle ways.

[46] The fan in Monroe's hand for the original video was an iconography of the Sudarshana Chakra (wheel) held by the Indian idol Vishnu.

Scholar Georges-Claude Guilbert, who wrote Madonna as postmodern myth: how one star's self-construction rewrites sex, said that the fan symbolized fiery desire aroused by Monroe as well as ritual sacrifice, eerily foreshadowing her untimely death in 1962.

It consisted of a hat strewn with fake fruits, flowers and feathers, jeweled batwing spectacles with heavy, black frames, a ruffled skirt, a bodice covered with objects like watches and dolls and fishnets.

Singing the song with a strong mid-western accent, they got up and revealed a frivolish pink dress underneath their gown, in which they danced around.

[59] During the Re-Invention World Tour of 2004, a general setlist was decided where the show rehearsals would start with "I'm So Stupid" from American Life, "Dress You Up" and "Material Girl".

[60] Hence "Material Girl" was transferred as the closing song of the military segment of the show, and was re-arranged as an electric guitar version.

Madonna wore military themed clothes and sang the song while standing in front of a microphone and playing an electric guitar.

The performance ended with Madonna walking down the catwalk in a bridal veil and carrying a white bouquet, which she eventually throws into the crowd.

[65] A recording of the performance at the March 19–20, 2016 shows in Sydney's Allphones Arena was released in Madonna's fifth live album, Rebel Heart Tour.

[66] In June 2022, to accompany the remix album release Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, Madonna performed at Pride at the Women of the World Party in New York City.

[69] In 1993, a conference was held at the University of California, Santa Barbara, with the subject as Madonna: Feminist Icon or Material Girl?.