The Age of Madonna
Madonna talks about ageism at the age of 34.
Thanks to Matt Rettenmund (He's actually met and interviewed Madonna!!!!) for posting this video and his thoughts, which inspired this blog post. Check out his blog, Boy Culture!
She’s famously tackled sexism, racism and gay rights. Now, it seems, intentionally or not, Madonna is taking on ageism.
The 53-year-old superstar continues to push her career forward with the same, if not more, intensity she had when she burst onto the scene in 1982. It’s only February and she’s already released her second movie, recorded a new album, – MDNA, out in March – is kicking off a massive world tour and, most recently, performed a high-energy dance party during the Superbowl’s Halftime Show.
While most of the press seemed to like her halftime performance, where she was carried to stage by Roman gladiators before cartwheeling over breakdancers, shuffling with LMFAO, bumping booties with Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. and taking us to church with Reverend Cee-Lo Green, she had her usual detractors.
What wasn’t usual about the harsh comments was their overarching theme. Instead of being slammed for being sacrilegious (in the 80s), or for being brazenly sexual (in the 90s), or even for knocking the American ideologies that made her a star (in the 00s), she was now being attacked for her age. “She is too old! She should just stop! She’s not in her 20s anymore!”
An odd criticism, since really, it’s not like she chose to be older.
By comparison, her musical contemporaries seem to age more gracefully, but that’s only because of the context of their music. Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger are rockers who only need guitars and stage presence to be considered successes. Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand are known for their ballads, so they can arguably just sit on a stool in a sparkling dress and still pack Las Vegas theatres.
But that’s not the nature of Madonna’s beast. She earned her fame by singing fun pop songs. Sure, she’s dabbled in somber and serious moments of artistic genius (“Live to Tell”, “Oh Father”, Ray of Light), but dance music is her bread and butter.
She could easily rest on her laurels and perform intimate concerts based solely on her impressive catalogue of hits. But, that’s the equivalent of a celebrity retirement home. I don’t want that. I admire her ambition to keep pushing herself, her desire to try new things and her refusal to just sit in the corner and be old.
What people are failing to grasp here is that we have a bona fide megawatt pop legend who is still making new music. For a celebrity who’s painted as all shades of snobbery, at least she isn’t arrogant enough to presume she can use her classics to just milk her fans for all they’re worth. She’s still supplying the demand. Sure, she might not ever write another “Vogue” or “Hung Up”, but can’t the lady have some fun trying?
What’s also surprising is how petty this criticism seems. It’s not like she’s a soccer mom who had one too many coolers at the staff party. It’s MADONNA. The woman who made a career out of making songs that play at said staff parties. So, she can shake it all she wants, and own it. I’d like to see any of today’s pop stars do that in 30-odd years without the same ridicule.
We are all destined to get older. And, while most of us will move a little more slowly and look a little more saggy, I choose to be inspired by Madonna’s youthful attitude. I want to have the physical and mental energy at her age and beyond. I want to still be able to go out and live life and have fun with a devil-may-care attitude. After all, age is just a number, not a state of mind.
I doubt this anti-ageist stance is an intentional move on her part. She’s making a statement without realizing she is. And that’s the beauty of it all. It’s as if she’s saying “Yeah, I’m over 50. So what?”
