Madonna has come under fire after her latest Instagram post promoting a photo shoot for V Magazine. She opened up about the process of the shoot in the caption of the photo, leading fans to flood her comments with questions and accusations.
“Proud of my collaboration with @stevenkleinstudio For @vmagazine and knowing that against all odds And with very little support from non-artistic people who kept pushing back and the fact that we did it with almost zero budget we were still able to make ART! Art is not dead if you have the strength to fight for what you believe in !!” the pop star wrote. “Thanks to all who did support us and slept on couches and worked long hours and for free.”
Fans Had A Lot To Say About The Post
Many were quick to point out that Madonna could have paid the staff herself, and questioned why they had to work such long hours. “The definition of exploitation = People working for you for free in the name of ‘art,’” one commented. Another replied: “Worked for free??? Why didn’t you Pay them yourself? Are you short on cash or something?”
This isn’t the only problem people had with the “Material Girl” singer’s post. Along with a photo of her holding the magazine cover, Madonna also posted pictures of herself posing with the project’s photographer, Steven Klein. In one photo, he is holding a knife to her throat.
One person commented, “Madonna PLEASE do not pose with a person holding a knife to your throat – this is NOT a photo op – this is really bad!!!” Another wrote, “Switch on your brain. All the women suffering abuse and being murdered, and what you post is a knife to your throat. Disgusting message.”
Another issue people had with the picture? Madonna’s braided hairstyle, which many saw as cultural appropriation. One fan commented, “this hairstyle is giving microaggression,” while another simply said, “why the braids.”
The singer hasn’t addressed the controversy, but the pictures remain up on her Instagram page. Her interview with V gives some insight into how Madonna might respond.
“The censoring that’s going on in the world right now, that’s pretty frightening. No one’s allowed to speak their mind right now,” she told the publication. “No one’s allowed to say what they really think about things for fear of being canceled. In cancel culture, disturbing the peace is probably an act of treason.”