Portrait of a star pushing 60, Madonna still refuses to do demure...
SHE is the original Material Girl – so her fans must wonder why she seems so averse to wearing any.
In little more than suspenders and black underwear, Madonna strikes a pose that would be daring for someone half her age.
The 58-year-old singer modelled the gothic outfit – complete with drapes of sheer fabric and heavy costume jewellery – in a photo shoot for Harper’s Bazaar magazine.
‘I don’t believe in censorship’
The revealing ensemble echoes those from earlier in her career, such as the iconic conical Jean-Paul Gaultier bra she wore during her 1990 Blond Ambition tour.
Two years later, she produced a coffee table book called Sex – in which she wore nothing – while last year, the mother of four shocked those at the Met Ball in New York by arriving in a lace catsuit that exposed her bare rear.
Speaking about her desire to push boundaries, she told the American publication: ‘I’m political. I believe in free- dom of expression, I don’t believe in censorship. I believe in equal rights for all people. And I believe women should own their sexuality and sexual expression. I don’t believe there’s a certain age where you can’t feel and be who you want to be.
‘All you have to do is look at my career, from my Sex book to the songs I’ve written. As I get older and better at and expressing myself, then I start talking about politics and government.’ The highly stylised look – with 1930s-inspired hair and make-up – is quite different to how the US star appeared at the Billboard Women in Music awards last month.
Stripped of flattering lighting and heavy eyeliner, Madonna appeared to have a considerably fuller face – albeit an exceptionally smooth one.