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Madonna's Face Is Not Subversive

jessicadefino.substack.com · 1,676 words · saved by 1 readers

What the beauty industry won’t tell you, from a reporter on a mission to reform it. Subscribe for free today. Madonna debuted a new face at the Grammy Awards last week. Well, new to the 64-year-old pop icon, at least. The look — waxy, expressionless skin stretched tight over exaggerated cheekbones, obliterated buccal fat, and artificially-enhanced lips, with brows bleached into oblivion to emphasize the emptiness of it all — recalls the “succubus chic” aesthetic recently popularized by Bella Hadid and Amelia Gray. The backlash to Madonna’s beauty choices has been swift and unserious, falling into three (deeply anti-intellectual!) schools of thought: Madonna’s cosmetic work is bad; “aging gracefully” is better. Critiquing Madonna’s cosmetic work is bad; commenting on any woman’s appearance is misogynistic. Madonna is taking a subversive stand against the patriarchy. (This, unsurprisingly, is the response from Madonna herself. And also, slightly more surprisingly, the New York Times?! Bu

Madonna's Face Is Not Subversive If she really wanted to be subversive, she’d age. Jessica DeFino Feb 10, 2023 1,303 79 37 Share What the beauty industry won’t tell you, from a reporter on a mission to reform it. Subscribe for free today. Subscribe Madonna debuted a new face at the Grammy Awards last week. via Instagram Well, new to the 64-year-old pop icon, at least. The look — waxy, expressionless skin stretched tight over exaggerated cheekbones, obliterated buccal fat, and artificially-enhanced lips, with brows bleached into oblivion to emphasize the emptiness of it all — recalls the “succu

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