6 Takeaways From Madonna's Fiery Billboard Awards Speech
"Thank you for acknowledging my ability to continue my career for 34 years in the face of blatant sexism and misogyny and constant bullying and relentless abuse."
Undisputable queen of Pop, Madonna gave, what is touted as her most brutal, fiery and honest speech till date.
On the stage collecting ‘Women of the year’ award at the Billboard Women in music event, she stunned everyone with her razor sharp observations of what is expected of women.
"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 that's out of line with the status quo.”
Be cute, be sexy, be beautiful, but dare you, don’t try to be smart. Act coy, not someone who has an opinion on every topic. This is not a rant of a “feminist”, but a harsh truth, which we refuse to acknowledge.
"I remember wishing I had a female peer I could look to for support. Camille Paglia, the famous feminist writer, said I set women back by objectifying myself sexually. So I thought, 'oh, if you're a feminist, you don't have sexuality, you deny it.' So I said 'fuck it. I'm a different kind of feminist. I'm a bad feminist.'"
Madonna did not disown the word feminism as opposed to certain, famous female celebrities. She developed her own brand of feminism by owning her sexuality with aplomb. She is most certainly unapologetic about it.
"What I would like to say to all women here today is this: Women have been so oppressed for so long they believe what men have to say about them. They believe they have to back a man to get the job done. And there are some very good men worth backing,but not because they're men -- because they're worthy.
This quote makes for one of my personal favourites. It is true that years of conditioning has made us doubt our self-worth. We keep looking for a stamp of approval from anyone and everyone around us. It has been hammered into our psyche, that we’re no good to take our life decisions.
Whereas, it’s just about being sensible and wise and, guess what, gender has got nothing to do with it. You can be a man, woman, transgender, agender, but your genitals are not directly proportional to your wisdom.
“Seek out strong women to befriend, to align yourself with, to learn from, to collaborate with, to be inspired by, to support, and enlightened by,"
I remember some of my fellow girl-classmates in school, boasting how they don’t gel with girls, all their good friends are boys. Nothing wrong with that. But having a girlfriend is like having a security blanket, she will stand beside you and empathise with your struggles and hardships.
I’m a huge supporter of sisterhood. Don’t put down your fellow women, make them part of your struggles. Befriending a woman, will be the best thing for you, when contemplating your struggles.
The 7-time Grammy winner accepted the honour by recounting not only her hardships but the life lessons learnt along the way to super stardom.
"In life there is no real safety except for self-belief."
So many women, including me, would readily agree with Madonna here. In life, you cannot bet on anything apart from yourself. Your self-belief will take you to places, pull you out of misery and, give you the strength to triumph over odds. Keep believing, keep amazing yourself!
"But to the doubters and naysayers and everyone who gave me hell and said I could not, that I would not or I must not -- your resistance made me stronger, made me push harder, made me the fighter that I am today. It made me the woman that I am today. So thank you."
And, that is how you do it! She just slammed her critics by giving them the best reply. Thanking them for their doubts and aspersions, which drove her to become the Madonna, that she is today.
