Twitter was ablaze, as you'd imagine, with some very nasty comments about her age. The newspapers inserted "56" wherever they could, and then came the "opinion pieces" about whether or not Madonna should be trying to be younger than she is, (who cares?) or whether she's giving the whole age thing the middle finger. (She is and she isn't.)
In one respect Madonna's defying age because she has the body you don't expect on a 56 year old woman. Given her work-out regimen, she can probably outlast any 25 year old in the gym and bench press more than most men. Impressive. She's quoted in the latest Rolling Stone mag as saying
"Because women, generally, when they reach a certain age, have accepted that they're not allowed to behave a certain way," ..... "But I don't follow the rules. I never did, and I'm not going to start."
She may be age-defying, and she may be ranting about age-ism, but I don't believe she's defying it, as some have suggested. Sure. she's cavorting around in a way that many think is "unbecoming" for a middle-aged woman, - and god bless her - but what about the face? And the gloves?
It looks like she's had quite a bit of work to keep the wrinkles at bay, and ever since the snide remarks about her old-looking hands started, she has reverted to the 80's fingerless gloves she popularized back in the day. I must point out that Maggie Smith's hands probably look younger than mine, so I feel Madonna's pain and I don't blame her for hiding them - but again, it's not really "being your age" is it?
We also have Cindy Crawford in the news for possibly having this body.
Here are a few women who, in my opinion, are really defying age-ism and not getting enough credit for it.
Real beauties - rocking those laughter lines.
Having good genes helps enormously too.
ReplyDeleteI would not like to work out like Madonna, but frankly, the woman rocks. :)
Give me Annie, Jamie and Meryl any day - they are stunning and just keep getting better. My own view is that it is far more important to feel comfortable in your own body than worry about what anyone thinks about 'how you look' or 'how you act'. Madonna in that sense is an absolute icon with a two-fingered salute to all those who are intent on dissing her, for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteLCM x
You know, I find Madonna worrying and mildly depressing: she used to be so cheeky and kooky yet now she seems so, well, desperate with the surgery and the toyboys and the 'shove it' attitude. Did you see what she was wearing on Jonathan Ross the day after her fall? Fishnets and some see through dress. Ugh. The idea that she is providing a good example of How Women Age for me or my daughter is bonkers. All I see is How Some Women Get Paranoid About Aging. I asked my daughter what she thought about Madonna and her response was this (she's 13): "All she's concerned about is being a hottie, but she's out of the age range of that KIND of hottie which makes me feel uncomfortable when I look at her. Her ideals are all mixed up and it's sort of embarrassing looking at her." It's like the old guy with the 22 year old hottie and the Corvette: you know the 22 year old is only there for the money and sure they're both happy with their arrangement but there's no depth to that relationship, so at the end of the day I'd be willing to bet that it's all very shallow and unsatisfying to both. Meryl, Jamie, and Annie (you forgot the fabulous Tilda) are far more interesting and inspiring. They look as though they LIKE who they are, too, unlike Madonna, who is starting to look like a grotesque parody of her younger self.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough old world out there, not desperately forgiving. I admire those who seem to have accepted they are who they are and long to be like them but you do have to work at it. Stay active in both mind and body and just because you are old never give up - not for anyone else sake but for your own!
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