Madonna has written a lengthy social media post saying that "ageism and misogyny" are behind the commentary about her look at the Grammys.
Unbowed and far from bloody after being the talk of Twitter for two days, Madonna ended her missive with a command: "Bow down, b****es!"
She also borrowed the words of the ceremony's leading winner, Beyonce, writing: "You won't break my soul," reports Variety.
The pop superstar said that she believes criticism of her look is rooted far less in her appearance than longstanding historical resistance to her brazen attitude - combined with a desire to push back at women just for refusing to step outside of the limelight as they age.
"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 wrote.
She wrote on Instagram: "It was an honour for me to Introduce Kim Petras and Sam Smith at the Grammys. I wanted to give the last award which was Album of the Year, but I thought it was more important that I present the first trans-woman performing at the Grammys - a history-making moment!! And on top of that she won a Grammy!!
"Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech, which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim, 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!!
"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."
"I have never apologised for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I'm not going to start. 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.' I look forward to many more years of subversive behaviour - pushing boundaries, standing up to the patriarchy and most of all, enjoying my life."
