While I love dancing to her 1980s’ tracks, I’m not a fan of Madonna’s current ‘stuff’ – believing most of it to be unlistenable. That said, there’s absolutely no denying the fact this rule-breaking, shape-shifting, trendsetting, pop provocateur has made a major impact on the music scene – and fair play to her!
It’s for this reason I was not in the least bit surprised when last week, the 63-year-old took to Instagram to post a selection of risqué images showing her sprawled across her bed, wearing nothing but a set of skimpy undies, a smile, and a pair of (to die for) Louboutin’s!
However, instead of setting followers’ pulses racing, Madonna’s butt-bearing, biting-down-on-the-bedpost antics have led to Instagram removing the images due to a ‘small portion’ of her nipple being ‘exposed’. Not to be deterred, she later reposted them, complete with strategically placed emojis, commenting on how she has experienced, “four decades of censorship, sexism, ageism and misogyny”, resulting in some fans and celebrities unkindly labelling her as being ‘desperate’.
Personally, I applaud Madonna’s bold move, because if there’s one thing this Material Girl is good at, it’s making a scene and shocking people. While she may have had a half-decent vocal range back in the day, Madonna’s voice now sounds like nails grating on a classroom chalkboard, meaning Mother Time hasn’t exactly been kind to her vocal chords. But hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, and Madge’s no different. Therefore, proving to everyone that you don’t need to have talent to make it big in the entertainment industry – you just need to have a bangin’ bod – the mistress of reinvention got her baps and butt cheeks out for all the world to see.
To that end, I’m quite annoyed that those who are (let’s face it) pretty ‘meh’ and ‘blah’ themselves have ganged up on her. People like Piers Morgan have accused her of reaching ‘rock bottom’, and 50 Cent trolled her saying, “Yo this is the funniest shit! LOL. That’s Madonna under the bed trying to do like a virgin at 63. She shot out, if she don’t get her old ass up. LMFAO”. What did they expect? She’s a badass mature lady (with hindsight, pardon the pun). If those images haven’t been altered, Madge doesn’t have a bad ass at all, she has an amazing ass, so you strike that pose girl!
Therefore, are those who mock her simply just crippled with jealousy, or are they desperately seeking attention for themselves? It wasn’t too long ago that egomaniac 50 Cent caused quite a stir himself on social media, making a homophobic remark to Playboy (so horrific I refuse to write it, but Google it yourselves), which incited uproar – and rightly so. This leads me to ask the question… bitter much Fiddy? Should I page Dr Freud to reception for you? Okay, we all get it wrong sometimes, and beneath the disrespect, I’m sure Fiddy’s pretty decent.
But placing Fiddy, Piers and TV presenter Lorraine Kelly (who cheekily called Madge’s pictures ‘pretty sleazy’) aside, I have to ask why there appears to be a cohort of petty-minded individuals who have this damaging idea that older women should simply fade away to live their lives unhappily ever after?
Is it any wonder ladies that instead of getting into the groove like Madonna, we spend our days backing out of bedrooms and bathrooms so that the men in our lives (who, let’s face it aren’t exactly turning heads themselves) can’t see the wrinkles on our thighs and on our butts?
What is driving kids to kill other kids?
I was both shocked and heartbroken this week to read yet another story about one child killing another child. This time the news came via our UK neighbours.
Ava White, a 12-year-old girl, went into a Liverpool town with her pals to see the Christmas lights being switched on. At some point during the festivities, the child was apparently involved in a ‘verbal argument’. This argument escalated to such an extent that she ended up suffering ‘catastrophic injuries’ after being ‘assaulted with a knife’. A 14-year-old boy has appeared in court, charged with her murder, along with three other teens aged between 13 and 15 being arrested and ‘conditionally bailed’ as police continue their enquiries.
As a parent/grandparent, I have to ask myself what is going on in society and in some kids’ minds that they go along to events allegedly armed to the hilt, committing the most heinous of crimes?
I have no doubt a legal team, an investigative team, and a team of therapists will weigh in to try and ascertain what happened, with the rest of us (me included) insisting the killers are held accountable and punished to the fullest extent of the law for their alleged crimes.
Very often, when kids kill other kids, we tend to blame the operant conditioning associated with say, a violent video game, where some impressionable youngsters may become so involved that they interpret the rules and strategies of the game, accepting them as being the ‘norm’, acting them out in reality. We could also blame rap lyrics, a graphically violent movie, or even the weapon itself – after all, if the kid hadn’t been holding a knife, he wouldn’t have committed the crime… and so on.
Even though there seems to be an alarming increase in this type of crime, the fact is that this savagery cannot be attributed to one single contributing factor. At the end of the day, five lives have either been lost or potentially greatly affected here – the poor child who died violently and needlessly, the three who’re being investigated, and the one who has been charged. Something or someone needs to bear the brunt of the blame.
We’re all suffering from ‘pandemic fatigue’
Another week, another Covid variant – is it any wonder we’re all suffering from pandemic fatigue? As a vegan who’s very aware of what goes into my body, I’m not only concerned about the ingredients in the Covid vaccine, I’m also concerned about the way in which it’s being tested.
Despite that, I got vaccinated. I’m planning on getting my booster too and I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to do so. Had I refused the vaccine (citing my animal cruelty issues as a reason), and God forbid contracted Covid and became very ill – or worse, passed away from it – who’d take care of my dogs? Nobody! Exactly!
Let me stress that while I’m no medical professional, I firmly believe the only credible way out of this destructive situation is a vaccine. Therefore, I wish the Covid-deniers and anti-vaxxers would get a clue and realise this is not an intrusion on your person, nor is it the government’s way of ‘tracking us’. Perhaps when we’re out the other side of this pandemic, scientists might invent a vaccine to cure ‘conspiracist paranoia’ – now wouldn’t that be great!
