Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Madonna clapped back at people who criticized her appearance at the Grammys on Sunday. In an Instagram post this week, the “Material Girl” singer said some fans paid more attention to her face than her efforts to celebrate trailblazing artists Kim Petras, who is transgender, and Sam Smith, who is gay. The duo performed “Unholy” and the song made Grammys history. “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!!” she wrote. “Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny that permeates the world we live in.” Some Twitter fans had weighed in on the singer’s face, which they say has changed in recent years. Actor Damon Gonzalez tweeted that her “hair, makeup & eyebrows make her only look worse.” Another Twitter user said she wished “Madonna never touched her face,” considering “she’s always been beautiful.” Madonna, 64, didn’t take too kindly to the comments, dubbing them the result of “a world that refuses to celebrate women pass [sic] the age of 45.” The “Like a Virgin” singer said she’s not caving in to the negativity. “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,” she wrote. “In the words of Beyonce ‘You-won’t break my soul.’” She continued: “I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior — pushing boundaries — standing up to the patriarchy — and most of all enjoying my life.” Fans shared mixed reactions to her statement. Some followers, including “Bros” star Billy Eichner, were supportive. But others doubled down on their sentiments against plastic surgery. “Madonna, by changing your facial appearance to the extent that you have, you are the main perpetrator of your own ageist agenda,” one follower wrote. “I’m a fan, but I need to call you out on this.”
■ Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, whose half-century reign makes her Europe’s longest-serving monarch, will undergo “major back surgery” this month, the royal palace announced. The 82-yearold monarch will be hospitalized afterward and undergo “a longer rehabilitation process,” it said. “During a long period, Her Majesty has been affected by problems with her back, and in recent times the situation has worsened,” the palace said. The Danish Constitution gives Margrethe, Denmark’s head of state, no political power and her duties are ceremonial. She was proclaimed queen on Jan. 15, 1972, a day after her father, King Frederik IX, died after a short illness.