The Met Gala doesn’t exactly scream “forum for social change.” Celebrities walk the grand entrance stairs in gowns that could fund dozens of college educations and snap selfies with hands manicured to the tune of $2,000. Last year’s ball, entitled “China: Through the Looking Glass,” even led to some embarrassingly politically incorrect costumes when certain attendees — and the designers behind their look — bungled their Asian references (Lady Gaga, Georgia May Jagger, we’re looking at you).
However, when Madonna gets outfitted in yards of costly couture, she does it for a good cause — and we don’t mean the upkeep of the Met’s Costume Institute. Although this year’s breast and derrière-baring lace number triggered a slew of criticism, the inimitable pop star made it clear her reckless (we’re using the Beyoncé intonation here) Givenchy dress was “a political statement as well as a fashion statement” intended for one of the most-watched red carpets of the year.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the professional provocatrice called out her critics for their ageism and sexism, accompanied by snaps of her flaunting the controversial outfit and literally flipping off haters.
Madge’s message harkens back to Tina Fey’s New Yorker piece “Confessions of a Juggler,” in which she wrote: “I have a suspicion — and hear me out, because this is a rough one — that the definition of ‘crazy’ in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to fuck her anymore.”
How we love all the bold women who take the stage and say what the world needs to hear. (Even if, in all honesty, we don’t think this year’s Gala was the best reflection of Riccardo Tisci’s talents.) Madonna, you are the answer to our past, present and future prayers.
