Can we quit all this shock about Madonna being 60?

Today is Madonna’s 60th birthday. But while many rush to wish her a great day and congratulate her career – which is still as strong as ever – some will undoubtedly continue to make her determination to dress, act, look and speak as she wishes more of a focus than the celebrations themselves.

The truth is, some news outlets across the globe will be busily working on articles about how shocking her behaviour is at such an age, but what does that really mean? Is it about following the stereotypes society associates with older members of society? Or giving up the things we enjoyed doing when we were younger simply because we hit a certain point in our lives?

Turning 60 is something to be celebrated, but as an article by The Guardian has pointed out, everything Madonna has done in the past 15 years has been criticised. Whether she’s being hammered for wearing revealing outfits on stage or sharing selfies of herself across social media, the general consensus from many articles is that it’s wrong for the pop star to behave in such a way because she’s reached a certain age.

Almost any time the star releases a new song or album, the internet erupts with outrage and concern that she’s still pumping out music and dressing down after all these years. One example came in 2016, when Madonna took to the stage at the Billboard Women in Music event.

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“I stand before you as a doormat. Oh, I mean, as a female entertainer,” she told the audience. “Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying and relentless abuse.”

She also said that in the music industry, ageing is a sin.

“Do not age,” she warned. “Because to age is a sin. You will be criticised and vilified and definitely not played on the radio.”

It’s not just the music industry who seems to have a problem with Madonna and her age. Take an article published by The Sun in 2016. The story claimed Madonna, along with stars such as Goldie Hawn, Demi Moore and Melanie Griffiths weren’t fooling anyone with their wrinkle-free faces and that their ageing hands gave away their real age.

“Madge’s face age is 50 but that’s immaterial compared to her hand age of 75,” a part of the article read, alongside an unflattering photo of the star’s hand.

The thing is, Madonna and the other celebrity women targeted probably weren’t trying to fool anyone in the first place. It sends a message that Boomers shouldn’t feel beautiful because of their aged hands and that anyone who takes pride in their appearance is automatically trying to be younger or something they’re not.

Meanwhile, another article by Times Live seemed completely gobsmacked that a woman approaching her 60s would be able to continue doing the things she does. That article pointed out that Madonna dates men who are three decades her junior, that her slim figure is the envy of women half her age and that her “provocative” stage show included dance moves similar to sex acts.

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Equally, where is the outrage about George Clooney marrying Amal who is 18 years younger than he is? Alec Baldwin’s wife is 34, while he’s 60. How about Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone?

There’s also this idea that because Madonna is of a certain age, she needs to dress age appropriately. In 2016 when she attended the annual Met Gala in New York City, the star walked the red carpet in a gown that exposed her bosoms and buttocks. She used black duct tape to cover her nipples and wore knee-high boots that exposed her thighs.

Read more: Madonna hits out at critics who say she needs to dress age appropriately

She hit out at the criticism in a lengthy Instagram post.

“We have fought and continue to fight for civil rights and gay rights around the world. When it comes to Women’s rights we are still in the dark ages,” she said.

“The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an age-ist and sexiest society.”

She said the only way to change history was to be fearless and to do things that others don’t. She also said anyone who has a problem with how she dresses is prejudiced and that she wasn’t afraid to pave the way for the girls behind her.

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Everything she’s done over the last 60 years has been followed with a chorus of ‘put it away’, because she doesn’t act in a stereotypical way.

Isn’t it time to let it rest and praise Madonna for standing her ground and refusing to follow typical ‘stereotypes’, whatever they may be? After all, the problem isn’t necessarily her, but the stereotypes themselves.

While Madonna is just one person at the age of 60, it’s likely others have experienced similar discrimination throughout their lives. Whether it’s making a decision not to wear something because it might not be “age appropriate” or avoiding certain activities because you’re “too old”, are these really problems about being an older person in the community, or the stereotypes the community has placed on over-60s?

What do you think? Do you think people need to act their age at a certain point in their lives?