Annie Lennox Says Madonna’s Racy Interview Photos Are ‘Attention Seeking’
When Madonna’s spread in Interview magazine‘s new issue dropped, the internet lost their minds over her racy photos. Singer and songwriter Annie Lennox wasn’t one of them.
Lennox appeared on UK TV’s Loose Women, and was asked what she thought about the 56-year-old’s revealing photos. She started diplomatically, although she questioned Madonna’s motive behind the photos.
“I did get things off occasionally but not to that extent. I don’t think it’s down to me (to judge Madonna)… I think already the verdict is probably out, would you not agree on that one? I think the question is, ‘What is Madonna telling us?’ Anybody know?”
A panelist, Janet Wheel, suggests the photos were just “attention seeking,” and that’s when Lennox agreed saying, “I think it is.”
Missed this? Why Madonna’s topless pictures are a triumph for women http://t.co/Ru4VX06qwZ @Madonna @InterviewMag pic.twitter.com/akQIeoAGeJ
— WonderWomen (@TeleWonderWomen) December 3, 2014
The reactions to Madonna’s topless photos are seriously gross (post contains nudity) http://t.co/m1IeubpxP0 pic.twitter.com/rUtHmIiw14 — Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) December 3, 2014
Even The View’s Rosie O’Donnell got in on the discussion.
“If my titties looked like that, I’d be nude right now,” says @Rosie of @Madonna‘s mag spread http://t.co/x1y7d6ZBsm pic.twitter.com/7ItZFzAvwP
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) December 3, 2014
Then again, Madonna has always been a provocateur so this really shouldn’t be shocking. The majority seems to think that this is nothing more than some “middle-aged desperation.” This kind of reception probably says more about how Hollywood treats aging women and how society has only conditioned how we perceive older women. Hollywood has framed aging women in a very specific lens, which represents these women as decrepit and reserved rather than bold or vivacious.
This isn’t the first time Lennox has spoken out against a popular singer. Earlier she received flak for her comments about Beyoncé and the singer’s sudden attachment to feminism. At the time Lennox called Beyoncé “feminist lite.”
She continued, “I’m sorry. It’s tokenistic to me. I mean, I think she’s a phenomenal artist — I just love her performances — but I’d like to sit down (with her). I think I’d like to sit down with quite a few artists and talk to them. I’d like to listen to them; I’d like to hear what they truly think.”
“I see a lot of it as them taking the word hostage and using it to promote themselves, but I don’t think they necessarily represent wholeheartedly the depths of feminism — no, I don’t. I think for many it’s very convenient and it looks great and it looks radical, but I have some issues with it. I have issues with it. Of course I do. I think it’s a cheap shot.”
What do you think of Annie Lennox’s comments?
[Image via Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com]
