Madonna hits back at ageist critics in new ad campaign

Madonna has hit back at her ageist critics while appearing in a brand-new elaborate Brazilian ad campaign.

• READ MORE: Madonna live in London: pop queen grapples with her legacy

The pop icon is featured in a new advert for the Brazilian bank, Itaú. In the advert, the ‘Ray Of Light’ singer is seen walking up a regal staircase at The Palais Garnier in Paris while reflecting on her decades-spanning career.

“They call me the Queen of Pop. I know it’s a compliment, but the monarchy is in the past. I am not. I have no age. I’m all ages. It’s not about who I am. It’s about how many I am. Count my achievements, not the number of years I have lived on this planet. I am always re-inventing myself, so that I can keep being myself,” she said in the ad.

This Film was made to thank my Brazilian fans for their love and devotion. It would not have been possible without the tireless support of @itau and my team -And the incredible vision of #jonasakerlund

We are made of the Future! pic.twitter.com/BsUquqM997

— Madonna (@Madonna) February 21, 2024

Madonna then went on to say “I think the most controversial thing I have ever done, is to stick around,” a claim she previously made at the 2016 Billboard Awards.

She added: “I have seen many stars appear and disappear, like shooting stars. But my light will never fade. Not everyone is coming to the future. But I am. I’ll keep going, today, tomorrow and the next 100 years.”

Last month, fans of the pop icon defended her against ageist trolls incorrectly mocked her for using a support beam at a live show.

The singer kicked off the US leg of her ‘Celebration’ world tour back in December, and a video was shared on TikTok of her dancing while holding a pole behind her.

In the comments of the video, some suggested that she was using it as a support beam to help her to stand. Madonna fans have then since defended the singer from the trolls, with one saying: “Dumb a**es got jokes, but failed to mention the fact that she’s dancing on a MOVING PLATFORM,” and calling out the “ageist” comments.

Last year, Madonna addressed the criticism she received following her appearance at the 2023 Grammy Awards, describing the backlash as evidence of a “world that refuses to celebrate women [past] the age of 45”.

Following the broadcast, the singer faced an onslaught of harsh commentary about her physical appearance, with many describing her as “unrecognisable” and taking aim at her plastic surgery. The pop star hit back at critics in an Instagram post, writing that she is “once again caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny [that] permeates the world 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,” Madonna added. The singer said that it was “a long lens camera” that “distort[ed] her face, and lamented how the backlash had outshone her otherwise-empowering speech “about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim”.

The post continued: “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. 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”.

Piers Morgan took the time to make comments about Madonna‘s fashion choices which were criticised as “misogynistic” by some viewers.

The broadcaster said on TalkTV back in January 2023 that he was unimpressed by the way the pop icon’s announced her 40th anniversary tour.

In response to the news of her global tour, Morgan accused Madonna of “the whole trying to be a sex kitten thing when you’re in your 60s” and brought up a series of explicit pictures that the singer had shared previously on social media (via The Independent).

Speaking to Jeremy Kyle, Morgan said: “I think she’s become the most grotesque, trainwreck embarrassment in the history of world entertainment.”

Following the criticism, Keira Knightley voiced her support for Madonna after the pop icon was forced to respond to critics of her appearance.

The actress weighed in on the row, telling Harper’s Bazaar: “Change is always tricky. We’re taught that it’s bad. We’re taught that we don’t want grey hair.”

She went on: “You’ve got Madonna on the one hand – and we’re told that’s not the right thing. Then you have someone else, where we’re told, ‘They looked better 20 years ago’. How are we, culturally, meant to age?”

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Kylie Minogue also spoke out about ageism in the music industry after Madonna commented on the criticism.

Minogue reflected on how ageism affected her career as both a young and older performer. “There was some of that [ageism] with ‘Padam’, where it surprised people and went on ‘youth-orientated’ radio,” she told Radio Times. “But I think we’re in a time where it’s not cool to be ageist. People are over it.”

She praised “younger people” for embracing her music, citing that their attitude to music as “really interesting” and “amazing and a breath of fresh air”. “You can like what you like, be what you want to be,” she added, calling that attitude “helpful for [her] right now”.

“They don’t really see my age, which is kind of funny because I started so young, and if there was any detrimental aspect to that, it was, ‘You’re so young, what do you know, how can you be credible?’”

She added: “At different points in my career, whatever age I’ve been, there’s been something to navigate… I spoke about it on my album ‘Golden’, saying, ‘We’re not young, we’re not old, we’re golden, you can only be who you are at that point in time.’”

Elsewhere, Madonna recently took a tumble at a recent live show, while performing her 1986 hit ‘Open Your Heart’.

The moment took place during a recent stop as part of her ongoing ‘Celebration’ tour, which kicked off in the UK last year and is currently on its US leg of dates.

NME caught Madonna’s opening show for the tour last year and gave it a five-star review: “The whole thing is a thrilling reminder that Madonna isn’t just a pop star, but also a cultural force who genuinely changed the world by chafing against what society expects from women in the public eye.

“That’s something worth celebrating in the dazzling, dynamic and at times slightly discombobulating way she presents it here. Really, you wouldn’t have her any other way.”

Since then, she has made headlines with the live shows by giving ‘Frozen’ its live debut on tour, performing ‘This Used To Be My Playground’ live for the first time and announcing extra shows due to high demand.

It has also been rumoured that the ‘Vogue’ singer is set to headline Glastonbury this summer.

No performers for the 2024 festival have been officially announced as yet. Fans however have already been speculating over whether Madonna could headline Glastonbury 2024 after organiser Emily Eavis recently shared an image from a ‘Celebration Tour’ concert in London. The Queen Of Pop is available next June, with her run of North American dates scheduled to end in April.

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