Oxygen to Air Banned Madonna Video

March 23, 2001 -- Sisters are doing it for themselves: Madonna's rough-'n'-ready new video, which was banned from regular rotation on MTV and VH1 due to its violent content, can be seen on the pro-girl-power Oxygen network beginning today.

Oxygen, which was founded by Oprah Winfrey, former Nickelodeon channel head Geraldine Laybourne, and TV producer Marcy Carsey, reaches up to 12 million homes, according to the New York Post's Page Six. That's a lot of extra spins for the Material Girl's "What It Feels Like for a Girl" video, which was only shown once on MTV and VH1.

The four-minute-plus video was lensed by Madonna's gun-friendly director hubby, Guy Ritchie, and follows the angry pop singer as she steals a car, joy-rides over hockey players and leering men, robs people, and points a water pistol at police. The ending is a question mark, leaving viewers wondering if Madonna's car crash is a fatal one.

MTV previously censored Madonna's soft-core 1990 video for "Justify My Love," which boosted video sales of the banned clip. Her 1992 video for "Erotica" was played on the network, but only late at night.