Madonna was all about promoting female empowerment.
What I find sad about her isn't how she behaves because of her age but because she's almost become a parody of herself.
Her success owed a lot to her reinventing herself and doing something new and refreshing.
She was something to aspire to in many ways.
I always think that women - of any age - who insist on all the surgery - are deeply unhappy and deeply lacking in being in control of their own lives instead handing it over to advisors who are more interested in money rather than well being of their client. They have become a product to sell rather than a human.
Its a loss of sight of any kind of reality. Thats all I really see.
I don't have time for anyone using filters be they rich or poor because I think they are psychologically harmful and led to a cycle of misery and lack of self confidence in who and what we are(and thats mainly women) for both those using them and those viewing them.
I have a lot more time and respect for those who don't resort to doing it.
I don't get why ANY female artist, be they 16 to 60 should feel the need to or think that should need to lie on the floor under the bed with their arse cheeks hanging out. ESPECIALLY one who has a well established career and should have her own power and agency to say, 'why the fuck am I still doing this?'.
When we were kids so many girls wanted to be Madonna. Now I struggle to wonder who the women are who would want to be the current Madonna (apart from the bank account).
I don't expect her to start knitting at all. Strangely enough there are lots of 60 something women who have class and style and are interesting and talented who don't knit. THAT is agist. Its disrespectful to those women in their 50s and 60s who look amazing and aren't ready for the old people's home just yet.
Madonna is aping people half her age rather than leading the way. She's lost the focus on her talent and her music and unique style.
When you are talking about Madonna's backside not her music, you kind of know the styling isn't working. She isn't going to get hoards of young women following her and it limits even the male audience she has to a somewhat niche market - she isn't going to be able to directly compete with women 30 years her junior based on her backside and surgically altered face, so why paint yourself into that corner and limit yourself to that degree. So why is she trying to do that rather than reinventing and trying something new, refreshing and inspiring to a cross generational audience like the male musicans of her age and era did to prolong their careers?
Creatively, she's a wash up and thats the issue for me. There is no shame in being in your 50s and 60s these days. If you look around at a lot of famous women in their sixties, they look damn good and you don't think 'gosh they look haggard' in perhaps the way was the case in the past.
Madonna's problem is not knowing when to say no, thats enough and thinking out the box which was her trademark.
I have to say, that I have much more time for Abba who at least realise that their mythology and image is based on their youth and are finding innovative ways to capture and market that rather than put themselves on stage and shatter that. I do think it a little sad they can't be themselves, but I also think they possibly don't feel they have the fitness to do that too and understand how it might 'damage the brand' so to speak, without compromising themselves and their artist integrity.
If pop and celeb culture is still percieved as the preserve of youth, where are all the artists looking to break that rather than merely desparately trying not to get old? Why are we still focused on backsides and flawless face rather than pure talent? Its all the wrong way round. Its 2021.
Madonna's face and arse are the embodiment of the agism and sexism in the media. Its not the people complaining that they are fed up of surgically altered faces and unrealistic representations of women which don't accurately reflect things as they really are that are agist. Women shouldn't be expected to be trying to look like they are 30 when they are 60. They can be utterly stunning and sexy without doing it. THAT is the problem and trying to turn it around and have a go at people pointing out how harmful and damaging to society and to women in particular is pretty abhorrent and DARVO like.
I can't help but think Madonna is a victim of that culture at this point in her life and has never managed to break free of some of the dinosaur like attitudes of the era she became famous.