bangbang Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 By Matt Jacobi / He Said/She Said / April 4, 2015 Seeing Ageism and Sexism Through the Prism of … Madonna Lover her or hate her, you have to agree that Madonna works really hard, is a savvy businesswoman and very good at making a public statement. Let’s put her talent of performing and creating a dazzling show aside for a moment and break down how the Material Girl has kept her name a buzz throughout pop culture history for the past 30 years, and why you should take a moment to think about it. Through decades of publicity stunts, magazine covers and now online chatter, Madonna continues to create a sense of controversy, but also what I believe to be an important discussion for our society, especially for women. With her recently released new album, Rebel Heart, Madge is still holding the throne of being the queen at making waves in the press and causing people to roll their eyes (I’ll get to that in a minute). Whether she is flashing her bum on the red carpet, posing topless or falling backwards at The Brit Awards, Madonna’s actions continue to be in the headlines. If you sit back and look at the bigger picture though, there is always a message behind what she does and says, including her oh-so famous provocative ways. Yes, her goal is to sell music (that is a given), but she is also driven to make a statement of some kind to stir up conversation and make people think. Such statements at times, like kissing Britney Spears on stage or releasing her Sex book, may seem unnecessary to some people at first, but in the end, Madonna is doing these things to open up the minds of the current time. Today, seeing two women kiss on television is not that big of deal and being naked or showing skin in the media is practically everywhere. I’m not giving Madonna all the credit in completely revolutionizing the freedom of self-expression, but she certainly has played a big part with just using her own music platform. I believe that is her main focus, and it is something courageous for a person to do. Madonna is always on a mission to revolutionize the way people think. She encourages rebelling against what is considered to be “wrong.” She may come off as the loudest, raunchiest and most daring at times, but if you zero in on what she is trying to communicate, then her actions should take less of the spotlight and her message should take the center stage. What has my mind ticking is the opinionated backlash she (still) gets, especially on social media, for being “too old” to be doing what she does. Not one to keep quiet, Madonna has gone on the defense in recent interviews expressing that she is a victim of ageism and sexism. So, I have to ask, are Madonna’s current provocative ways “not appropriate” for the masses just because she is fifty-six years old? Is it ageism at its best? I think, yes! When Britney, Beyoncé and Gaga are up on stage gyrating, nobody makes a big stink about it, so why is society so hung up on bashing Madonna? Why is there an expiration date for women and their expression of sexuality? Madonna is also a mother, in impeccable shape, employs many people and has achieved success on many different levels. You would think her drive, talent and healthy physique would be an inspiration. Sure, she can upset people and goes to the extreme in many cases to make a point, but her motive is to get people to create conversation. That is a success all on its own. The more interaction she creates and the more thought provoking she is, the more awareness is in the air. That awakens our minds. Madonna has also been a strong supporter for human rights, equality and numerous charities for decades. That is inspiring to me and those are qualities of somebody with compassion and wanting to make a change. So, here we are in 2015 and Madonna is still being hated on. It does not make a whole lot of sense to me. She has paved the way for so many young artists and contributed to shifting and bending the norms of society. If the way she went about it was too much for some people, I can understand that, but perhaps the focus should be directed towards her positive intentions and forward thinking. I don’t want to convince people to be Madonna fans because that is not what is important. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion (especially with music). But I do think all the negative words being said about her are overly harsh, and there is a disconnect between how she is viewed and the points she has made. Society can be so strict about women wanting to express themselves, whether it is through artistic expression, fashion or music. The judgment meter has always been sky-high when it comes to women being bold in history. So I have to again ask. What type of message do you want to give your daughters: to stay quiet, not express what they think, not stand up for themselves and that when a woman reaches a certain age, she must dial down her creative thoughts? That just sounds so backwards to me. http://mariashriver.com/blog/2015/04/madonna-ageist-sexist-women-matt-jacobi/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eroticerotic Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Women are scapegoats who fell for it; i think the most insecure is a man. Ageism... you don't need to be Madonna or a woman to experience it. It's kinda weird you can experience it in the gay universe. I always thought gay men should support each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pieciolot Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I think gay men are even more guilty of ageism than the rest of the society. You're considered old if you're over 35. For guys in their early 20s you're old if you're 29. And don't even get me started on our obsession about looks and body image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VogueMusic Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I think gay men are even more guilty of ageism than the rest of the society. You're considered old if you're over 35. For guys in their early 20s you're old if you're 29. And don't even get me started on our obsession about looks and body image. BINGO. Good article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B. Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I think gay men are even more guilty of ageism than the rest of the society. You're considered old if you're over 35. For guys in their early 20s you're old if you're 29. And don't even get me started on our obsession about looks and body image. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeakMaker Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I think gay men are even more guilty of ageism than the rest of the society. You're considered old if you're over 35. For guys in their early 20s you're old if you're 29. And don't even get me started on our obsession about looks and body image. THIS! THIS! THIS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim34 Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 This article is really on point ! That`s exactly what I think about that issue. You can see that so many people out there are not that tolerant like they say or act. So many people are still narrow minded and thinking in boxes. Mostly the critics are in save positions in their live and it´s easy for them to critisise or discriminate others or their behaviour. Like our Queen said in a recent Interview: We are living in scary times! We need strong woman and strong artists like her who get up and stand for freedom. I will always love her for what she stands for. She is a positive role model To me it`s so strange and feels totally wrong to be critisised for trying to bring peace, freedom and humanity into society Long live the Queen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 A lot of the negative comments this era are coming from gay men in their late 40s and 50s who are saying Madonna is acting age inappropriate (as they head out to the club praying to tap twentysomething ass), aligning themselves with Gaga in hopes they will look young and hip. Great article! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5iVe Elements Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Brilliant article! I think aside from gay men, conventional women also are hard on Madonna. Perhaps, she represents something they secretly wished they could do but are afraid to do so. Madonna is always avantgarde. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elysium Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I think gay men are even more guilty of ageism than the rest of the society. You're considered old if you're over 35. For guys in their early 20s you're old if you're 29. And don't even get me started on our obsession about looks and body image. Agree completely. Gay men are the most superficial and judgemental perhaps because we internalise a lot of negative stuff out there in the broader society as we grow up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george28 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Of course I agree with everything that is written about Madonna, but I also agree with some of the comments on how harsh and judgemental a lot of gays can be, and not even just the ones that do keep themselves in good shape and look like a walking ken doll but even the fat and not great looking ones will look down at the next gay if he is not skinny or ripped as if they have a better physique to offer lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeMySoul Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 All the fucking gays are superficial and judgemental even the ones posting here calling everyone else out as I have experienced it from one certain member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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