Madonna in Brazil: see the singer’s historic speech on machismo, sexism and ageism | News

Madonna performs at Copacabana Beach, on Saturday (4), bringing to the river the The Celebration Tour, the commemorative tour of his four decades of career. In the show, the 65-year-old artist gives an overview not only of great successes, but of the themes that marked her career, such as freedom of expression, feminism, the fight against misogyny and sexism, and others, which she addressed in a historic speech in 2016, when she received the Woman of the Year award.

Always accurate, on stage at the Billboard magazine event, she stressed that men can do anything, but women must follow the rules. “And don’t get old. Because getting old is a sin. You will be criticized, you will be the villain and, definitely, you won’t play on any radio”, said the singer.

Madonna recalled that while male artists could be bold, sexualize their images and break gender barriers, she was accused of holding women back by objectifying themselves. “I’m a different kind of feminist, I’m a bad feminist,” she warned her.

Check out Madonna’s historic speech:

“Thank you for recognizing my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny, constant bullying and relentless abuse. When I started, there was no internet, so people had to say things to my face. There were some people I had to fight back because life was simple back then.

When I moved to New York, I was a teenager. It was 1979 and New York was a very scary place. The first year I had a gun pointed at me, I was raped on a rooftop with a knife to my neck, and my apartment was broken into and robbed so many times that I just stopped locking the door. Over the next few years, I lost almost all of my friends to AIDS, drugs or gunshots.

As you can imagine, all of these unexpected events not only helped me become this defiant woman in front of you, but they also reminded me that I am vulnerable. And in life, there is no real security except believing in yourself. And the understanding that I am not the owner of my talent, I am not the owner of anything. Everything I have is a gift from God and even the bad things that have happened and continue to happen are also gifts that teach me lessons and make me stronger.

I’m getting an award for being Woman of the Year, so I ask myself: What can I say about being a woman in the music industry? What can I say about being a woman? When I started writing songs, I didn’t think about it in a genre-specific way. I didn’t think about feminism. I just wanted to be an artist. I was, of course, inspired by Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde and Aretha Franklin, but my real muse was David Bowie.

He embodied both male and female spirits and that served me well. He made me think there were no rules.

But, I was wrong. There are no rules if you are a boy. If you’re a girl, you have to play along.

What game is this? You are allowed to be beautiful, graceful and sexy, but not too smart. Don’t have an opinion. Don’t have an opinion outside the status quo. You are allowed to be objectified by men and dress like a slut. But don’t acknowledge that you’re a bitch. And never, I repeat, never share your sexual fantasies with the world. Be what men want you to be. And, most importantly, be what women feel comfortable with around men.

And finally, don’t get old. Because getting old is a sin. You will be criticized, you will be the villain and you will definitely not play on any radio.

When I became famous, there were nude photos of me in Penthouse and Playboy magazines. Photos taken from art schools that I posed for in the past to make money. They weren’t very sexy. In fact, I looked bored. And I was. But they expected me to be embarrassed when these photos became public. And I didn’t stay, and that intrigued people.

Eventually they left me alone because I married Sean Penn, and not only was he going to break you, but I was off the market. For a while I wasn’t considered a threat. Years later, divorced and single – sorry, Sean – I made my album Erotica and my book Sex was released. I remember being the headline in all the newspapers and magazines. Everything I read about myself was damning.

I was called a prostitute and a witch. One headline compared me to Satan. I said, ‘Wait a minute, isn’t Prince walking around in fishnets, high heels and lipstick with his ass hanging out?’ Yes he was. But he was a man.

This was the first time I truly understood that women do not have the same freedom as men. I remember feeling paralyzed. It took me a while to get myself together and continue with my creative life. To get on with my life. I found comfort in the poetry of Maya Angelou, the writing of James Baldwin, and the music of Nina Simone. I remember wishing I had a female colleague I could count on for support.

Camille Paglia, a famous women’s writer, said I held women back by sexually objectifying me. ‘Ah’, I thought, ‘if you’re a feminist, you don’t have sexuality, you deny it’. So I said, ‘Fuck you.’ I’m a different kind of feminist, I’m a bad feminist.

People say I’m controversial, but I think the most controversial thing I’ve ever done is stay here.

What I would like to say to all the women here is this: women have been oppressed for so long that they believe what men say about them. And they believe that they must support a man if they want the job to get done. And there are very good men who are worth supporting, but not because they are men. Because they are worth it.

As women, we must begin to appreciate our own worth and the worth of each other. Look for strong women, to be friends with them, to align with them, to learn from them, to be inspired, to collaborate with them, to support them, to be enlightened.

As I said before, it’s not so much about winning this award, it’s about having the opportunity to stand in front of you and really say ‘thank you’. As an artist, as a woman, as a human being. Not just everyone who has loved and supported me the whole way, several are in front of me now. You have no idea. No, you have no idea how important your support is.

But to the skeptics and naysayers and everyone who gave me hell and said I couldn’t, that I wouldn’t or that I shouldn’t – your resistance made me stronger, made me go harder, made me the fighter I am today. It made me the woman I am today. Thank you then.”

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