Almost 30 years ago, Madonna perfectly predicted the ageism she faces in the music industry today

Posted 2 days ago by James Besanvalle in news

Madonna has been releasing music for almost 40 years and her latest collaboration with Dua Lipa, Missy Elliott and The Blessed Madonna is just one more notch to add to her belt.

But when Lipa dropped the remix version of her song “Levitating” on Friday, Madonna became the predictable target for tired tropes about her age.

Some people on social media unfairly slammed the 61-year-old (62 on Sunday!) music icon as “old”:


But this criticism is something she’s had to deal with for more than 25 years.

In an interview with Jonathan Ross on Channel 4 in 1992, the “Vogue” singer was just 34 years old at the time.

Ross asked:

Do you think perhaps that you will be someone who will challenge this kind of taboo of women losing their sexuality or not being seen as sexual animals as much when they get past 40?

Madonna shot back:

I think that not only do we suffer from racism and sexism, but we also suffer from ageism. And that is that once you reach a certain age, you're not allowed to be adventurous, you're not allowed to be sexual and I think that's rather hideous.

I mean a lot of people have said, ‘Oh, that's so pathetic, I hope she's not still doing that in 10 years’, I mean, who cares? What if I am? I mean, Is there a rule?

What are you just supposed to die when you're 40? That's basically what everybody wants people to do. I think it's stupid. Put yourself out to pasture? Why? Life is long – people are living to be 100 years old – I don't get it.


Unfortunately, she's still keenly aware about the ageist critics today. In an interview with Vogue last year, Madonna said:

People have always been trying to silence me for one reason or another, whether it’s that I’m not pretty enough, I don’t sing well enough, I’m not talented enough, I’m not married enough, and now it’s that I’m not young enough.

So they just keep trying to find a hook to hang their beef about me being alive on. Now I’m fighting ageism, now I’m being punished for turning 60.

Don't let the haters get you down, Madge – you're a trailblazer.