Madonna blasts music industry sexism: 'If you're a girl, you have to play the game'
Few female celebrities have a perspective on fame quite like Madonna, whose soldiered through decades of controversy — and still courts it today — to remain one of her generation's most iconic pop stars.
But onstage at Billboard's Women in Music awards, accepting the title of Woman of the Year, the singer's message to the audience wasn't a rosy one.
"I stand before you as a doormat. Oh, I mean a female entertainer," she said, kicking off a blockbuster 15-minute speech that condemned the industry's sexism and ageism in no uncertain terms. "Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant misogyny, sexism, constant bullying and relentless abuse."
Taking the stage in an embroidered Gucci suit, the singer described her gritty beginnings as a teenager New York, where she was "raped on a rooftop with a knife digging into my throat," before outlining the lessons she's learned about women in music with matter-of-fact cynicism.
"My real muse was David Bowie," she said. "He made me think there were no rules. But I was wrong. There are no rules, if you're a boy."
Her commandments were nothing short of pessimistic. "If you're a girl, you have to play the game...You're allowed to be pretty and cute and sexy, but don't act too smart. Don't have an opinion. Don't have an opinion that is out of line with the status quo, at least. You're allowed to be objectified by men, and dressed like a slut, but don't own your sluttiness, and do not, I repeat, do not share your own sexual fantasies with the world."
"Be what men want you to be, but more importantly, be what women feel comfortable with you being around other men," she continued. "And finally, do not age, because to age is a sin. You'll be criticized, you'll be vilified, and you will definitely not be played on the radio."
She also referenced ex-husband Sean Penn in the speech. "Eventually, I was left alone because I married Sean Penn," she said. "And not only would he bust a cap in your (expletive), but I was taken off the market. So for a while, I was not considered a threat."
She compared her treatment in the media to Prince's, a similarly audacious artist who she claimed was celebrated, not condemned, for his sexually adventurous persona. "I was called a whore and a witch. One headline compared me to Satan. And I said, 'Wait a minute, isn't Prince running around with fishnets and high heels and lipstick with his butt hanging out?,'" she said. "Yes, he was, but he was a man."
Later in the speech, she remembered Prince and other legendary artists who she's outlived. "Michael is gone, Tupac is gone, Prince is gone, Whitney is gone, Amy Winehouse is gone, David Bowie is gone. But I'm still standing," she said, to cheers from the audience. "I'm one of the lucky ones."
Madonna wasn't the only star to blast the entertainment industry during the awards. Taking the stage to accept the Trailblazer of the Year title, Kesha described how her peers cheered on her weight loss, even as she spiraled into an eating disorder.
"But the irony is, when I was very, very sick, and getting sicker, I kept hearing about how much better and better I was looking," she said.