Madonna appeared at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 5) night, introducing Kim Petras and Sam Smith. But rather than focus on the performers, the social media chatter turned to Madonna’s physical appearance, with some not-so-kind comments.
The multi-time Grammy winner clearly saw those hurtful comments and took to Instagram on Tuesday (February 7) to share a lengthy post, hitting back at the trolls and calling out the “ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in.”
“I wanted to give the last award which was Album of the year, but I thought it was more important that I present the first trans-woman performing at the Grammys— a History making moment!! And on top of that she won a Grammy!!” Madonna wrote about Petras, who became the first transgender woman to win a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
She continued, “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 “Like A Virgin” hitmaker took aim at the sexist industry standards, stating that 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.”
She went on to say she has “never apologized” for her “creative choices” or how she looks or dresses and isn’t about to start now. “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.”
Madonna then cited the words of Grammy history-maker Beyoncé, writing, “You won’t break my soul,” and promised her fans “many more years of subversive behavior, pushing boundaries, standing up to the patriarchy, and most of all enjoying my life.”
Petras herself responded to the post with three love heart emojis, showing her support for the music icon.
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