Madonna Jokes ‘Swelling From Surgery Has Gone Down’ As She Mocks Haters With Photo Of Her Face

Feb 21, 2023 by apost team

Madonna's entire career has been built off the back of controversy, so despite being 64, the pop icon hasn't slowed down on causing a commotion with her life and work. 

Over her four-decade-long career, the pop star has weathered a multitude of criticism, disdain, condemnation and disparagement from the media over everything from her fashion style and her dance moves to her behavior on talk shows. Despite the flak, the “Material Girl” always seemed to come out the other side swinging. 

The latest furor surrounding Madonna came after she took to the stage at the Grammy Awards in February 2023, and her physical appearance got the world talking. But this time, it wasn't only the media that commented on her appearance but her dedicated fans too, who pleaded for her to age gracefully, without the help of plastic surgery. This led Madonna to make a statement about the circus that surrounded her appearance.

Now that things have died down, in true Madonna fashion, the entertainer poked fun at the whole situation with a tongue-in-cheek post on Twitter.

The drama began on Feb. 5, 2023, when Madonna appeared on stage at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras before their performance of “Unholy,” which went on to win the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance award later that night. In her introduction, Madonna referenced her own divisive legacy.

“If they call you shocking, scandalous, problematic, provocative or dangerous, you are definitely onto something,” she said and added:

“'I am here to give thanks to all the rebels out here forging a new path and taking the heat for all of it. You guys need to know, all you trouble makers out there, you need to know that your fearlessness does not go unnoticed. You are seen. You are heard and most of all, you are appreciated.” 

For the occasion, Madonna skipped the typical ball gown and opted for an almost all-black outfit consisting of a tailored blazer over a crisp white shirt and tie, paired with a long, black skirt with a high slit. She kept her make-up relatively understated with thick lashes, matte lipstick and eyebrows dyed blonde.

However, it wasn’t her fashion and make-up choices that stole the spotlight that night. Instead, fans quickly took to social media to decry just how unrecognizable the “Holiday” singer’s face – with not a wrinkle in sight and puffed-up cheeks – looked. Many slammed the pop star for what they speculated was her overzealous attempt to look young through cosmetic procedures that resulted in the unwelcome transformation.

On Twitter, viewers spared no sympathy for Madonna. One person tweeted, “Letting yourself age gracefully is far more beautiful than plastic surgery,” above a photo comparison of the 64-year-old Madonna next to her own also 64-year-old mother.

“What has Madonna done to herself?” one tweet read, followed by an emoji of a circus clown.

Another said, more sympathetically:

“I don’t hate Madonna for doing this to herself. I hate that we live in a society where she thinks she has to do this to herself."

Never one to hold back, Madonna responded to the wave of criticism with a statement posted to Instagram. She shared a video of the night and posted a lengthy message, in which she said it was an honor to introduce Petras and Smith. She wrote:

"Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim - Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me Taken with a long lens camera By a press photographer that Would distort anyone’s face!!" 

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She chalked up the criticism to being "caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous." The pop icon continued:

"I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start. I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come. ... I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior - pushing boundaries-Standing up to the patriarchy - and Most of all enjoying my life."

She added, "In the words of Beyonce “You-won’t break my soul," before ending with, "bow down b****es!" 

Two weeks after her statement, Madonna took things one step further as she trolled naysayers with a short tweet. Alongside a photo of herself in which she donned a black button-up shirt, ripped blue jeans and a cap that said "Spiritually hungry," the singer wrote:

"Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol"

Madonna's cheeky stab at the public's comments about her appearance proves she has a sense of humor about the situation. One fan said it best:

"Trolling or being honest? Doesn’t matter. This is the realest tweet ever. Yes, you do look cute."

For the record, Madonna said in a 2012 interview with Mirror, as reported by Yahoo, she is "certainly not against plastic surgery," but that she is "absolutely against having to discuss it."

What do you think about Madonna trolling the public because of the reaction to her Grammys appearance? Do you think she's right that her looks shouldn't matter? Let us know, then pass this on so your friends can weigh in too.