Madonna hits back at ‘ageist and misogynistic’ criticism of her appearance

Madonna has said that criticism of her face is “ageism and misogyny” after unveiling a new look at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.

The 64-year-old hit out at the commentary surrounding her appearance after she presented an award to Sam Smith and Kim Petras at the award show over the weekend.

Some viewers claimed that the Vogue singer was “unrecognisable” at the ceremony on Sunday, with others speculating that the pop star had undergone considerable plastic surgery to alter her appearance.

Piers Morgan, the TV host, shared a photo of Madonna at the awards, writing: “I thought Halloween was in October?”

In a lengthy post on her Instagram, the Like A Prayer singer hit back at the criticism, saying: “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!!

“Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in.”

She criticised “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”.

Madonna wore a black tuxedo with her eyebrows bleached blonde during the awards ceremony at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

In her post, she added that she had been “degraded by the media” since the beginning of her career.

“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,” she said.

“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. Bow down bitches!”

German singer Kim Petras became the first transgender person to win the award for best pop duo/group performance. In her acceptance speech, she said: “I don’t think I could be here without Madonna.” 

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2023]