Pop icon Madonna kicked off Pride month with a provocative Instagram video that drew a divided response from fans and social media users alike.
In the Monday post, the 67-year-old singer — wearing a silk slip dress, opera gloves, a diamond necklace and matching earrings — is seen kneeling beside an oyster-shell toilet seat and smoking a cigarette. As she repositioned herself to face the camera, her dress shifted and a wardrobe malfunction occurred. She responded to the slip with characteristic nonchalance, saying, “You know what? See a [bleep].” The not-safe-for-work moment was edited with a flashing black rectangle before the clip was posted.
Set to retro elevator music, the video ends with her blowing a kiss and winking at the camera. She captioned the post, “Nothing like a Mother’s Love……Happy Pride Month. See You Soon!”
The visual aesthetic of the video — a pink filter, gloves and diamond jewelry — appeared to echo the imagery from her 1985 “Material Girl” music video, itself a tribute to Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number in the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”
Reaction among her Instagram followers was mixed. Supporters credited her decades of advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Thank you for spending decades standing up for people when it wasn’t popular, profitable, or safe to do so,” one fan wrote.
Others questioned the delivery.
“When you get to a certain age,” one commenter said, “don’t you find more meaningful things to do? I’m not talking about the Pride message. I’m talking about the delivery.”
The video also spread across X, where many users criticized the post. Users variously called it “attention seeking behavior” and “sad and depressing,” with others questioning the timing and tone. Some supporters pushed back, noting her longstanding role as an LGBTQ+ ally dating to the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s.
Madonna is the mother of six children: Lourdes Leon, 29; Rocco Ritchie, 25; David Banda, 20; Mercy James, 20; and twins Stella and Estere Ciccone, 17.
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