Madonna knows what it feels like for a girl.
The Queen of Pop took to social media on Tuesday to push back against the many negative comments about her appearance that inundated social media timelines following her appearance at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
And she did that by quoting a fellow pop culture superstar.
“In the words of Beyoncé ‘You won’t break my soul,’” she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post, invoking the chorus of the lead single of Queen Bey’s latest album, “Renaissance.”
“Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in,” the multi-Grammy-winning artist wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 and feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong-willed, hard-working and adventurous,” she added.
The “Express Yourself” singer — who announced earlier this year she would soon embark on a world tour to celebrate her record-breaking 40-year career — said she has spent the past few decades being criticized for her artistic choices, age and personality.
On Sunday, after appearing at the Grammy Awards ceremony to introduce transgender pop princess Kim Petras and nonbinary British singer Sam Smith — who won the award for best duo pop performance — Madonna was targeted by vicious online hate. Most of the criticism focused on how she looked.
“Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim, many people chose to only talk about close-up photos of me taken with a long lens camera by a press photographer that would distort anyone’s face!!” she wrote.
But the 64-year-old chart-topper — who was called a “grandma” who needed to “calm down” in a now internet-famous article from 1993, when she was 35 — said she will not change who she is.
“I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come,” the best-selling female solo touring artist of all time said.
“I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior —pushing boundaries, standing up to the patriarchy — and most of all enjoying my life,” she added.
Madonna’s next project, “The Celebration Tour,” will kick off in Vancouver, Canada on July 15. Tickets for several cities, including New York, Paris and London sold out in minutes, according to Billboard.
On Jan. 20, show’s producer Live Nation Entertainment said 23 new dates across North America and Europe had been added “due to overwhelming demand.”