Madonna. Again.
I Dug This Out of My Archives. Sadly, It Has Aged Better Than We Did.
I am on holiday this week. I am nursing this feeling of absolute laziness — a rarity for me.
In this glorious weather, in these glorious mountains, I’m lazing around, reading, dreaming, thinking about “next” — but not too much about next — as I’m doing my Buddha best to stay “in the moment.”
On my own for the first five days. Then the crew comes in.
Bliss.
And a much-needed break from… you know what.
I wanted to find this piece from my archives.
I tweaked parts of it so it was totally up to date.
But it didn’t require much.
Because this same conversation has been going on since Madonna hit 40.
Why are we still here with this broad’s story?
Still picking on her looks. Her aging. “She’s too old to be a rock star. Why is she looking backward instead of forward?” Blah blah blah.
It’s so fucking boring.
But then I re-read this piece from my very early days as an art director — and remembered the blatant ageism and misogyny I was too clueless to see.
Or feel.
Or say no to participating in.
At Esquire, in the early ’90s, I assigned an illustration to a male artist: create a double-page spread of Madonna at 65 (which seemed ancient to me and the rest of the young buck staff).
The artist sent me the painting (yes, a painting), and I relished giving him feedback:
“Make her tits hang more. Give her a crinkled paunch. Lots more sag around the thighs she’s so proud of now.”
Etc. Etc. Etc.
I cringe when I remember the glee I took in it.
Because this wasn’t a realistic portrait of an aging Madonna. It was done with spite. With meanness.
I think the boys were scared shitless of the power and sexuality of Madonna. And we all did our best to take her down at the mere thought of... aging.
I couldn’t help but wonder (oh, that again, SJP) — would any young broad today conform to the big boss, who shall remain nameless, and assign this sexist art, chock-full of ageist misogyny, and get satisfaction from bringing her down?
Have we turned a page?
Or have we not?
Yeah. I am disappointed Madonna is not growing older the way I would have liked her to.
But...
It’s none of my business.
I think of Cher and all the shit she got because she refused to “age gracefully” (a term I abhor).
“If I want to put my tits on my back, it’s nobody’s business but my own.”
Preach.
Madonna is our Mae West.
And that brilliant artist did not go gracefully into the night.
All sex. No shame. No apologies. And funny as hell until the end of her life.
Whether it’s Cher, Madonna, Mae — or all the future Broads still to come — we’re all going to age.
Let’s stop policing the women who refuse to do it the way we think they should.
And what about ole Jagger?
At 81, I’m not hearing half the shit Madonna is getting. He’s wearing whatever the fuck he wants — strutting his stuff on stage — again, and had a baby at 73.
So maybe it’s time to retire this tired conversation.
Take whatever you want from Madonna.
The music.
The nerve.
The ambition.
The work ethic.
The refusal to disappear.
Take the inspiration...and
Dance away.
The rest?
It’s none of our damn business.
Are you with me?
Always with ya!
Honestly, I don't care what any celebrity does or how they age or how they decide to remain relevant in their careers. They will be just fine because they have the income to indulge themselves in whatever pleases them. They already have the freedom to do whatever they want because of their financial situation. However for the rest of us, luckily, that's what age does for women. We can sort out the BS easier and go straight to the core of what truly is important as we face down our own mortality. We are more concerned about our own care if we are doing life solo, widowed or with a spouse, we are concerned more about rising rent, prices, goods, climate change and all the health issues we confront. We are concerned about world events and how they impact us and future generations. I don't have time to care about celebrities who will be just fine doing whatever they choose, a luxury denied to many women.