Madonna was up in arms on Tuesday as she responded to criticisms of her appearance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
The 64-year-old music legend shared a fun video of herself rubbing elbows with stars at the Grammys, including winner Sam Smith and Cardi B, but in her lengthy caption she took aim at photographers and a wave of ‘ageism and misogyny’ that she felt she was being accosted by.
After she made an appearance on stage at the ceremony, some Grammy viewers took to social media to share their opinions on how the hitmaker had become ‘unrecognizable’ thanks to her particularly plump and smooth face.
According to Madonna — born Madonna Ciccone — it was the ‘closeup’ from a ‘long lens camera’ that distorted her face and made it appear rounder and puffier than it actually was.
In her short clip, she could be seen with the same striking braids, which were tied up in hoops circling her ears, and she wore a sizzling black lace bustier-style outfit.
Madonna showed off her punk tastes with several necklaces, chains and chokers haphazardly draped around her throat.
One brief section of the video showed her touching tongues.
In another clip, she posed in the black suit and tie that she wore on stage with a beaming Cardi, who was covered in a striking mirrored dress and headdress.
But despite the carefree and celebratory nature of the video, her caption was filled with fury after she experienced the backlash to her appearance on social media.
She called it an ‘honor’ to introduce Kim Petras — the first openly trans person to win a Grammy, after the synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos previously won while still in the closet — as well as Sam Smith, who shared the duo award and became the first openly non-binary artist to win in the Best Pop Duo/Group Collaboration category.
She noted that she opted to introduce Petras, rather than presenting for the coveted Album of the Year prize, as she thought the former moment would be more important and befitting her trailblazing status.
But Madonna was also annoyed at how people ignored her words and instead focused on her appearance.
‘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!!’ she said.
She diagnosed the problem, adding, ‘Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in.’
Madonna complained that she lived in a ‘world that refuses to celebrate women pass the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous [sic].’
She continued, declaring that she wasn’t about to start apologizing for ‘any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start.’
The Like A Prayer singer said she had been ‘degraded’ by the press since her earliest days of fame, ‘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.’