Keira Knightley has recently spoken out against comments about women ageing following the controversy surrounding Madonna's appearance at last month's Grammy Awards.
On February 6, the 'Like A Virgin' singer took center stage at the award show to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras ahead of their 'Unholy' performance.
However, rather than the focus being on the 64-year-old's presenting skills, people directed their attention to her looks, slamming her for allegedly altering her appearance so much over the years.
Twitter was brimming with comments about Madonna's "new face", with some going as far as comparing her to a muppet character.
After the show, the singer took to Instagram to address the rumors, emphasizing that ageism and misogyny play a huge part in how people perceive her.
She said: "Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous."
She then stated that she's never "had to apologize" for any of the creative choices she's made in her career, and she isn't about to start now.
"I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but 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. In the words of Beyonce 'You-won’t break my soul.'"
In the wake of the drama, the actress and star of Disney's latest movie The Boston Strangler, Keira Knightley, has shared her views on how the industry treats women as they get older.
It's no secret that this has been a recurring theme for a lot of women in the world of entertainment, which has prompted them to look towards other methods such as cosmetic surgery and Botox to help preserve their youth for as long as possible.
When speaking about the victims in the movie, which is based on the infamous Boston Strangler murders, the 37-year-old stated that because many of the women were in their fifties, they were largely ignored by the media.
"They were referred to as elderly!" Knightley tells Harper's Bazaar in a new interview. "They were victims of these horrific crimes, yet they weren’t looked at. They were invisible to the public."
The interviewer then asks the actress if she's worried about ageism having an impact on her own career.
"A lot of the conversations I’ll have with my girlfriends are, 'Oh my God, I’ve got a line [wrinkle]. Oh God!'" she says. "Change is always tricky. We’re taught that it’s bad. We’re taught that we don’t want grey hair. I love that you’ve got grey hair."
She then turns her attention to the treatment of women in the entertainment industry.
"You’ve got Madonna on the one hand – and we’re told that’s not the right thing. Then you have someone else, where we’re told, 'They looked better 20 years ago'. How are we, culturally, meant to age?"
She goes on to cite Helen Mirren as a "terribly good" example.
"She ages in the most sensational manner. She’s fabulous in every way. You look at her and think, 'God, you’re having so much fun. You’re enjoying life so much.'"
Maybe we all need to take a page out of Mirren's book.
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