Madonna has responded to the flood of criticism directed at her “unrecognizable face” during the 2023 Grammys.
ICYMI, the 64-year-old pop icon attended the awards show to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Unholy performance. She gave a powerful speech, but people chose to focus on her looks instead.
Social media was on fire with reactions to her wrinkle-free face, with many of them attributing it to excessive plastic surgery. Now, Madonna has fired back, calling the criticisms ageist and misogynistic.
She started her post by saying she originally wanted to present the Album of the Year award but chose to introduce Petras and Smith instead. Her reason: “the first trans- woman performing at the Grammys” was “a History making moment!!”
She continued, “Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim- Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me…”
The Truth or Dare artist explained that those pictures were captured by a press photographer using a telephoto lens, which “[w]ould distort anyone’s face!!”
“Once again, I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in,” she added. “A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45.”
She reflected on the need of people to put down women who are “strong willed, hard-working and adventurous” and asserted that she would never apologize for the way she looked or dressed.
Next, she wrote, “I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come. In the words of Beyonce, 'You-won’t break my soul.’”
Madonna ended her post with a promise to continue “pushing boundaries” along with a sassy mic drop: “Bow down b****es!”
