Madonna, Annie Lennox and 'Acting Your Age' (an excellent read!)

[ctg12]

Great read. Thank you so much.

[VogueMusic]

Finally. Finally. Finally.

What a perfectly written article.

[XXL]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keo-nozari/madonna-annie-lennox-acti_b_6652674.html

(by Keo Nozari)

It's far too common to pit women in popular music against one another. And, after Madonna and Annie Lennox delivered their respective performances on the 57th Grammy Awards on Sunday, that's exactly what happened. As both these strong female trailblazers came to prominence in the 1980s, many in the cyber sphere wanted to admonish one over the other.

But, first off, comparing Annie Lennox and Madonna musically is a false equivalence. They are, generally, two different types of artists, popular for different reasons, each with separate skill sets: one is a rock, blue-eyed soul vocalist about big vocal performances, the other is a dance-pop, self-proclaimed "show girl" with a talent for theatrics, messages, dancing and spectacle. Both are entertainment masters in their own right.

But, simmering underneath their performances was a vitriolic conversation online and in the media about age. With just four years difference (Lennox, 60 and Madonna, 56), there were countless remarks on how one was acting "appropriately," and one was not. One was "a class act" and one was not. But when it comes to aging -- just like their musical careers -- these women have two separate approaches and journeys entirely their own.

Annie Lennox is a spectacular musical talent, and she's pushed identity roles throughout her career through strong feminist activism. As she's matured, she has also, in many respects, "followed the rules" of aging as dictated by society: She doesn't try and disguise her age, she wears nice "age appropriate" attire on the red carpet, covering most her body (omitting the outrageousness of her neon-orange crew cut, 80s-breakout, Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" era, and the dramatics of her 90s diva days), her "current" song "I Put a Spell on You" is a stunning rendition of a 1956 standard and her latest album of jazz standards is called Nostalgia. It's very comforting on a certain level because it's what we're used to experiencing with people "of that age." It meets our collective expectation. We've seen mothers and grandmothers like this. And there's a certain glorious-ness to Lennox seemingly accepting herself and meeting herself at her own age (or what being that age means to her).

Madonna has opted to go a more modern and, dare I say, subversive route. Physically, she tries to look the best she possibly can for her age, even decades younger (utilizing everything from intense workouts to diet to alleged surgery), and she dresses unconventionally and scantily (even cheekily flashing the Grammy red carpet her bare bum).

Musically, she works with younger producers and continues creating modern music. And she is not about to stop being the same provocative artist she's always been. "Is there a rule? Are people just supposed to die when they're 40?" she famously said in a 1992 interview at age 34 , lamenting how people aren't supposed to be "adventurous" or "sexual" after maxing their 30s. Madonna has always challenged culture norms and "rules" about behavior, particularly rules in relation to women and how people are told they can and can't express themselves.

And rules about age are rapidly changing. Marianne Williamson in her book, The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, makes an invaluable point: While a rapidly growing segment of our population is living to be over 100, it's not that our lives are getting extended at the end, but in the middle. With the help of modern medicine, cosmetics and a better understanding of diet and exercise, we are staying healthier and looking better longer, and we are becoming more fully ourselves -- or, at least, we have the potential to do so.

This creates a new space to recreate what it means to be "you" in those middle years of life. Williamson says:

If we allow ourselves the power of an independent imagination -- thought-forms that don't flow in a perfunctory manner from ancient assumptions merely handed down to us, but rather flower into new archetypal images of a humanity just getting started at 45 or 50.

Madonna might actually be helping reshape the paradigm for what it means for people to self-express in their 50s and beyond. Her unparalleled success as a global cultural icon means she charts territory no one has quite navigated before at such huge level. It makes us initially uncomfortable. It pushes buttons. But, ultimately, it creates a path for people to choose outside what's expected and what current norms allow.

Her ability to do this throughout her career, to create paths for people previously untraveled, has been one of her greatest gifts. In the 1980s and 90s with her sexual politics, she helped redefine what it meant to be a "feminist," from the 70s stereotypical "bra-burner" into a woman who could be sexy and overtly sexual (even wear bras as outerwear!), yet still very much in control of her own destiny. It was a new way of being. She also deeply pushed boundaries of comfort by embracing gay rights at a time when nearly no celebrity would touch the topic (much less show it on stage, TV or in movies) and she was an AIDS activist and safe sex advocate in the early days of the 80s and 90s AIDS crisis -- she contributed to the advocacy of gays becoming commonplace as she played a role, remodeling minds and attitudes.

And in the 90s and 2000s -- from Catholicism to Kabbalah -- she has helped audiences rethink religion and spirituality and their ties to patriarchy and sexuality. Her hallmark has always been subversion. She is part of the system, of mainstream corporate pop -- which is her platform -- yet, she is often subverting it and its ingrained misogyny, homophobia and ageism.

There's a reason the current crop of pop princesses (Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and even queen Beyoncé) all have made a point to pay respects: Madonna helped create the model of sustaining relevancy in a pop music career for over four decades. According to TiVO, Madonna's performance was the most-watched part of the entire Grammy night, and the day following the Grammys, three songs from her new album Rebel Heart hit the top three slots of the iTunes music chart, and her single "Living For Love" reemerged into the Top 40 after previously reaching the top in December.

She -- more than 30 years after her debut single in 1982 -- remains the definition of relevant. Madonna opened her Grammy performance with a quote that highlights her career-long message: Be who you are, "someone unique and rare and fearless." And part of her enduring appeal is people like witnessing someone fearlessly (and rebelliously) doing something outside the standards of conventions and cultural expectations. Even if some are keen on slagging it off in the press and on social media. After all, those that dare go against convention are often the most maligned and criticized.

Annie Lennox and Madonna have different paths. BOTH of these remarkable, self-empowered ladies' paths are valid. And we can honor and respect the choices each of the these women have made for themselves. Some will find it silly that one "doesn't act her age," but others will wonder why the other "acts so old" when people live past 100 these days. Both women have chosen what works for them. And let us celebrate them both for giving us all options.

Excellent article making some great points

Which leaves me even more baffled as to why Annie feels like someone made her the leading feminism voice

The point is always the same: others spend more time commenting on what M did/does rather than the other way around

[madonnasuperfan01]

Great article.

[DIRTY PIG]

great read and so on point.

[Nonoka]

Guys this is not about whos right or wrong between Madonna and Annie. This is about people having the right to be happy doing whatever they want without people passing judgment.

THIS! x1000

[mnino]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/keo-nozari/madonna-annie-lennox-acti_b_6652674.html

(by Keo Nozari)

It's far too common to pit women in popular music against one another. And, after Madonna and Annie Lennox delivered their respective performances on the 57th Grammy Awards on Sunday, that's exactly what happened. As both these strong female trailblazers came to prominence in the 1980s, many in the cyber sphere wanted to admonish one over the other.

But, first off, comparing Annie Lennox and Madonna musically is a false equivalence. They are, generally, two different types of artists, popular for different reasons, each with separate skill sets: one is a rock, blue-eyed soul vocalist about big vocal performances, the other is a dance-pop, self-proclaimed "show girl" with a talent for theatrics, messages, dancing and spectacle. Both are entertainment masters in their own right.

But, simmering underneath their performances was a vitriolic conversation online and in the media about age. With just four years difference (Lennox, 60 and Madonna, 56), there were countless remarks on how one was acting "appropriately," and one was not. One was "a class act" and one was not. But when it comes to aging -- just like their musical careers -- these women have two separate approaches and journeys entirely their own.

Annie Lennox is a spectacular musical talent, and she's pushed identity roles throughout her career through strong feminist activism. As she's matured, she has also, in many respects, "followed the rules" of aging as dictated by society: She doesn't try and disguise her age, she wears nice "age appropriate" attire on the red carpet, covering most her body (omitting the outrageousness of her neon-orange crew cut, 80s-breakout, Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams" era, and the dramatics of her 90s diva days), her "current" song "I Put a Spell on You" is a stunning rendition of a 1956 standard and her latest album of jazz standards is called Nostalgia. It's very comforting on a certain level because it's what we're used to experiencing with people "of that age." It meets our collective expectation. We've seen mothers and grandmothers like this. And there's a certain glorious-ness to Lennox seemingly accepting herself and meeting herself at her own age (or what being that age means to her).

Madonna has opted to go a more modern and, dare I say, subversive route. Physically, she tries to look the best she possibly can for her age, even decades younger (utilizing everything from intense workouts to diet to alleged surgery), and she dresses unconventionally and scantily (even cheekily flashing the Grammy red carpet her bare bum).

Musically, she works with younger producers and continues creating modern music. And she is not about to stop being the same provocative artist she's always been. "Is there a rule? Are people just supposed to die when they're 40?" she famously said in a 1992 interview at age 34 , lamenting how people aren't supposed to be "adventurous" or "sexual" after maxing their 30s. Madonna has always challenged culture norms and "rules" about behavior, particularly rules in relation to women and how people are told they can and can't express themselves.

And rules about age are rapidly changing. Marianne Williamson in her book, The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, makes an invaluable point: While a rapidly growing segment of our population is living to be over 100, it's not that our lives are getting extended at the end, but in the middle. With the help of modern medicine, cosmetics and a better understanding of diet and exercise, we are staying healthier and looking better longer, and we are becoming more fully ourselves -- or, at least, we have the potential to do so.

This creates a new space to recreate what it means to be "you" in those middle years of life. Williamson says:

If we allow ourselves the power of an independent imagination -- thought-forms that don't flow in a perfunctory manner from ancient assumptions merely handed down to us, but rather flower into new archetypal images of a humanity just getting started at 45 or 50.

Madonna might actually be helping reshape the paradigm for what it means for people to self-express in their 50s and beyond. Her unparalleled success as a global cultural icon means she charts territory no one has quite navigated before at such huge level. It makes us initially uncomfortable. It pushes buttons. But, ultimately, it creates a path for people to choose outside what's expected and what current norms allow.

Her ability to do this throughout her career, to create paths for people previously untraveled, has been one of her greatest gifts. In the 1980s and 90s with her sexual politics, she helped redefine what it meant to be a "feminist," from the 70s stereotypical "bra-burner" into a woman who could be sexy and overtly sexual (even wear bras as outerwear!), yet still very much in control of her own destiny. It was a new way of being. She also deeply pushed boundaries of comfort by embracing gay rights at a time when nearly no celebrity would touch the topic (much less show it on stage, TV or in movies) and she was an AIDS activist and safe sex advocate in the early days of the 80s and 90s AIDS crisis -- she contributed to the advocacy of gays becoming commonplace as she played a role, remodeling minds and attitudes.

And in the 90s and 2000s -- from Catholicism to Kabbalah -- she has helped audiences rethink religion and spirituality and their ties to patriarchy and sexuality. Her hallmark has always been subversion. She is part of the system, of mainstream corporate pop -- which is her platform -- yet, she is often subverting it and its ingrained misogyny, homophobia and ageism.

There's a reason the current crop of pop princesses (Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and even queen Beyoncé) all have made a point to pay respects: Madonna helped create the model of sustaining relevancy in a pop music career for over four decades. According to TiVO, Madonna's performance was the most-watched part of the entire Grammy night, and the day following the Grammys, three songs from her new album Rebel Heart hit the top three slots of the iTunes music chart, and her single "Living For Love" reemerged into the Top 40 after previously reaching the top in December.

She -- more than 30 years after her debut single in 1982 -- remains the definition of relevant. Madonna opened her Grammy performance with a quote that highlights her career-long message: Be who you are, "someone unique and rare and fearless." And part of her enduring appeal is people like witnessing someone fearlessly (and rebelliously) doing something outside the standards of conventions and cultural expectations. Even if some are keen on slagging it off in the press and on social media. After all, those that dare go against convention are often the most maligned and criticized.

Annie Lennox and Madonna have different paths. BOTH of these remarkable, self-empowered ladies' paths are valid. And we can honor and respect the choices each of the these women have made for themselves. Some will find it silly that one "doesn't act her age," but others will wonder why the other "acts so old" when people live past 100 these days. Both women have chosen what works for them. And let us celebrate them both for giving us all options.

[dollhouse]

I love how the writer forgets annie totally as the article goes on aboutmadonna..

[Blaylock]

This! If only I could, I'd post this on the foreheads of her every naysayers.

[Roland Barthes]

She's supported by elderly media : Zoomer

Nothing could have been more predictable than the scorn and disgust provoked by Madonna’s cheeky get-up at the Grammy Awards.

Commenters wanted to know why Madonna can’t age gracefully and tastefully like, say, Annie Lennox, who arrived on the red carpet draped in black, from neck to toe and shoulder to wrist.

All that was missing from Lennox’s outfit was a hijab, or head covering.

But it’s Lennox who’s being held up as a model of what’s appropriate for post-menopausal women to wear in public.

Covered up, unremarkable, blending into the background, no body part noticeable — that’s what’s required for aging women to avoid the adjectives hurled at Madonna today: old, tired, desperate, demeaning, hag, ugly, delusional, disgusting, sadly pathetic.

“Saggy baggy old hag. Has to use a big leather strap to hold up that old saggy ass to keep it from hitting her on the back of her knees. Pathetic.”

There’s a lot more nastiness about her sexy matador costume and bare flesh but you get the idea.

The revulsion for Madonna’s extreme cleavage has been outdone only by the horror about her bum exposure after she mooned millions or red carpet watchers.

The in-your-face sexuality of a 56-year old woman is intolerable for most people. It’s considered monstrous and it’s why witches are regarded as abominations.

Women’s sexuality is a potent force and aging is a source of anxiety and when the two are combined, many people are repulsed by it.

Women are traditionally required to please, to be gentle and accepting and not to call attention to their sexuality, even to hide it.

They’re also required to fade into old age, relinquishing sexuality when their bodies are no longer fecund or as pleasing to men.

That, of course, is what’s meant by “aging gracefully” and “dressing age appropriately.”

But Madonna has always broken the rules and thank goodness for that.

She’s exactly the kind of provocateur we aging women need right now, even if we don’t feel the need to moon for photographers.

And as for dressing appropriately for the red carpet, that’s exactly what she did.

The red carpet is as much a show as any performance and the costume is what’s it’s all about.

If we’re going to watch women paraded around and judged for their appearance and body parts, then Madonna deserves applause for playing the game and, even more so, for mocking it.

Sure, we might choose to look elegant and wear something more like Lennox’s tasteful black gown when the occasion calls for dress-up.

But Madonna is doing us all a huge favour in insisting that post-menopausal women don’t have to hide themselves behind the dictates of age-appropriate fashion and graceful aging.

Copyright 2015 ZoomerMedia Limited

[nefarious]

That article was so bang-on I almost stood up and clapped. Bravo.

[Blaylock]

It seems more and more people are getting into M's age revolution. Here's another one supporter...

Bare-arsed, bold, glorious Madonna – light years away from acting her age

Myf Warhurst

The age-shaming of Madge is relentless and constant, like some kind of sport. Why should anyone be told to act their age when it comes to getting dressed?

Amazing to think that Madonna, an ‘older’ person wearing revealing clothes – corsetry, boobs proudly on show, legs encased in fishnets – can still get folk in a lather. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Thursday 12 February 2015 01.10 GMT

Now that we’ve calmed down after Kanye’s tanty over Beck winning best album at the Grammys, I think we can safely agree that although Kanye might have some valid points, until he holds his own personal awards ceremony he is not in a position to decide who gets what gong. End of.

All this kerfuffle has distracted us from something else that happens each year at the Grammys: the relentless and constant age-shaming of Madonna. It’s become some sort of sport.

Madge turned up to the ceremony in her usual garb, ie something tight, excruciatingly short and topped off with a pair of unwearable shoes. No real surprises there. Although I did enjoy the Napoleon-slash-Spanish matador vibe of her whole ensemble. She flounced about in her now de rigueur corsetry with boobs proudly on show, legs encased in saucy fishnets. On first glance, most people thought “Nice hat” and went back to their lives.

Then she flashed her backside. At the paparazzi. Who deserve it just as much as that degrading manicam box into which celebs are forced to shove their hands to have their cuticles filmed up close. Moon them both, I say.

Of course, Madonna’s rear wasn’t encased in a comfortable pair of sensible control-top cottontail undies like most women of most ages would wear. Her backside was bare, encased only by some sort of sporty jock strap that worked as a cheek hammock (where can I get one? The lift was extraordinary). Glorious Madge. Glorious 50-something-year-old Madge. Who refuses to put it away.

Cue the naysayers on socials saying Madonna should act her age. These normally rational people, who clearly all now hold a university degree in sitting on their own backsides and having opinions of 140 characters or less, were deeply concerned that Madge really needs a friend right now who’ll be honest and tell her the truth about her clothing choices. Others worried for her children. Some stated that she has more arse than class.

Taylor Swift arrives at the Grammys. Photograph: Michael Nelson/EPA

To think an older person wearing revealing clothes can still get folk in a lather, yet when Taylor Swift at the barely-legal-to-drink age of 22 turns up dressing like a 45-year-old movie star no one bats an eye! And that is so sad. Why should anyone be told to act their age when it comes to getting dressed? And as an aside, what on earth does acting your age really mean in this context? I assume the answer is covering it all up. And as Tay would say: shake it off.

I attended a product launch years ago that was hosted by an octogenarian artist who has a history of pulling practical jokes and pranks. Once her speech was done she then proceeded to pour the champagne all over the place, including on herself, then hoik her skirt up to flash her undies too. It was both shocking and joyful.

This moment always serves as a reminder that I wasn’t used to people over a certain age enjoying themselves, their bodies, and just generally mucking about with societal norms. It also showed me what a terrible bunch of conservatives we’ve become. Self-expression is not only for the young.

Telling Madonna what you think she can and can’t wear at her age has a hint of the Kanyes about it. And if we all agree that Yeezus doesn’t have that right to tell someone else who deserves to win, nor do we have the right to tell someone over a certain vintage to dress their age. Isn’t it the same?

source: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/12/bare-arsed-bold-glorious-madonna-light-years-away-from-acting-her-age

Edited February 12, 2015 by luilarios

[Jazzy Jan]

I love Myf Warhurst. She is a very intelligent, thoughtful and witty music commentator and host in Australia. I know she has always defended Madonna and great to see her doing it again.

[Andra]

FANTASTIC articles. Finally some people are starting to come to her defense.

[Mattress]

Annie trying to check out Madonna's ass...

[nimos]

She looks like Girlie Show Madonna.

[nick00]

Good Guardian article. Even emailed it to a friend.

Positive to see some pretty smart counter arguments against prejudice.

[Butter9]

She's still pushing boundaries at 56 and good for her . She's giving women a choice to be whoever they want to be. They can choose to age naturally and be untouched by cosmetic surgery ( like Annie Lennox ) or be LIKE HER .

I want to remember Madonna as this creamy smooth pop icon goddess ( the words she used to describe herself in Ruby Wax's interview ) and I think that's how she wants all of us to remember her .