Taylor Swift releases new music and gets accused of ruining music. Kylie Minogue performs at the AFL Grand Final and the internet has notes. Madonna is still pushing boundaries at 68 and apparently that’s a problem too.
We’re diagnosing a fresh outbreak of Tall Pop Star Syndrome: what happens when a female pop star becomes so successful, so visible, or simply sticks around for so long that we decide it’s time to cut her down?
We unpack the backlash, react to Madonna’s powerful 2016 Woman of the Year speech and ask: ten years later, did we learn anything? And are we guilty of it too?
Audio excerpts: Madonna’s Woman of the Year acceptance speech, Billboard Women in Music 2016. Source: Billboard / Billboard’s official YouTube channel.
