Madonna’s vulnerability posted on instagram

In a recent post Madonna has revealed her vulnerability and the pressure that she’s under to maintain a media ready image. In a recent post she’s called herself ‘chubby’.

Madonna’s indisputable age defying beauty and superhuman athletisism cannot be surpassed. From her eighties health phase, when she began running nearly everyday; to her gruelling dance routines – she has a physique that would put many professional athletes to shame. Yet today she posted on instagram – ‘chubby in my Dolce dress’.

The reality is that Madonna is seeking affirmation, in a youth driven culture, that puts innordinate amounts of pressure on women, and nowadays men, to look a certain way. For Madonna she will go through the inevitable aging process in full public view and of course the media will be unkind. That’s the nature of superstardom and Madonna is in the outer stratosphere when it comes to fame.

When Madonna released her album Ray of Light in 1998 she stunned everyone with her natural beauty and yoga-toned abs. She has invested incomprehensible amounts of time, money and energy into looking the part. But has she felt truly comfortable with the way she looks? How could she have any insecurities about her indisputable beauty?

The photo she posted on instagram is incredible. She looks like she’s in her twenties and still makes heads turn. However that is not enough nowadays when scrutiny of our appearance appears to be central to our broken society. The obsession with appearance, materialism and capitalism is now revealing its victims. Such obvious vulnerabilities that Madonna has exposed show her humanity, but raises concerns about her own self-worth.

Although Madonna redrew lines relating to female and male sexuality in a unique way. With her controversial SEX book in the 90s and her Blonde Ambition Tour that saw her being banned in several countries, we are surprised that Madonna is just like everyone else; insecure, vulnerable and seeking validation. The next generation can only learn from the foibles of the misdirected materialism and aestheticism associated with generation x.

However, is our fascination and preoccupation with appearance much more ingrained. Even Shakespeare wrote about the superficiality of the Elizabethan age – with their poisonous lead make up, lace, pearls and wigs -made from the hair retrieved from the corpses of peasants. Our appearance, and how we view ourselves, is undoubtedly a complex topic that will be analysed for years to come. If Madonna can feel ‘chubby’ then insecurity will find us all.