Madonna quotes Beyonce following Grammys backlash that saw her ‘caught in the glare of ageism’
Madonna said she has been “caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny” following criticism over her appearance at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
Wearing a black tuxedo with her eyebrows bleached blonde, the Material Girl singer praised “the rebels out there” during Sunday night’s ceremony in Los Angeles.
But her appearance prompted scrutiny and speculation on social media after a close-up photo of her face went viral online, sparking a torrent of negative comments.
The 64-year-old singer had presented the award for best pop duo/group performance to Sam Smith and Kim Petras, for their hit song Unholy.
Madonna, who has responded to the backlash by posting in a lengthy post on social media, called their performance at the award show a "history-making moment".
Smith identifies as nonbinary, while Petras became the world's first openly transgender woman to perform at the event.
Addressing her 18.7 million followers on Instagram, she wrote: "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 taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone's face!!"
The lengthy caption was posted alongside a montage of clips from backstage at the awards show of the singer dancing and posing with different stars.
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Her post continued: “Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in.
"A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her if she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous.
"I have never apologised for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start.
"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."
The Like A Virgin singer went on to quote Beyonce, who become the most decorated Grammy artist of all time at this year's awards.
Madonna wrote: “In the words of Beyonce ‘You won’t break my soul’.
“I look forward to many more years of subversive behaviour – pushing boundaries – standing up to the patriarchy – and most of all enjoying my life," she added.
As a result of her Grammys win, German vocalist Petras became the first transgender woman to scoop the award for best pop duo/group performance.
During her acceptance speech, Petras said: “I don’t think I could be here without Madonna.”
Madonna is set to embark on a global tour in the summer, which will see her perform her greatest hits from across four decades in shows across North America and Europe.
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