Madonna is used to being the centre of attention – being a global icon and cultural innovator will invariably do that to you. Sadly, mentions of her name are often accompanied by unsolicited commentary about her appearance, whether it’s “well-intentioned” concern about her strong physique or – as we’ve seen this year – utterly pointless speculation about her face.
Madonna stole the show at the 2023 Grammys, introducing Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ performance with an invigorating speech about the power of rebellion. But the discourse was inevitably dominated by people sharing images to compare Madonna to other women – such as Martha Stewart, Susanna Hoffs, and even someone’s mum – highlighting her failure to visibly age in line with societal expectations.
Referencing the controversy, Madonna later tweeted a selfie with the caption, “Look how cute I am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol.”
It’s a familiar story: women are encouraged to delay – or better yet, reverse – visible signs of ageing at every opportunity. Yet when we do as we’re told (through beauty products, surgical intervention, and extreme exercise and nutrition regimes), we’re berated for not “ageing gracefully.”
GLAMOUR spoke to Anita Bhagwandas, a beauty director and author of UGLY: Giving us back our beauty standards, and Jessica DeFino, a beauty critic and founder of The Unpublishable newsletter, to unpack the concept of ageing gracefully and explore why it’s so often levelled at Madonna.
“Our society does have a real issue with older women owning their bodies and embodying their sexuality – because if they do, it’s seen as subversive and threatening to patriarchal norms.”
In her response to the backlash, Madonna wrote on Instagram, “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 apologized 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.”
She finished, “I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior -pushing boundaries-Standing up to the patriarchy -and Most of all enjoying my life.”
If the ~discourse~ around Madonna’s appearance can teach us anything, it’s that we should be able to condemn the concept of “ageing gracefully” AND have urgent discussions about the impact that widespread cosmetic interventions among famous women can have on ordinary, non-famous women.
