MADONNA stirred up a storm when she turned up at the Grammy’s trussed up in a suspenders, stockings and thong combo more suited to Fifty Shades Of Grey.

The sniping went a bit like this: should a woman performer appear on stage in a red corset and not much else at the age of 56?

Sad to say, much of the criticism isn’t that she is wearing so little, but that she is wearing so little at such a great age.

Any argument as to whether it is appropriate for women – whatever their year of birth or job description – to dress so flimsily in public seems to be irrelevant. Young female artists who flout their bodies in skimpy outfits are such a part of the musical landscape that we are surprised when we see one fully clothed.

Ironically, Madonna is the trailblazer, the woman who married pop music to sex in the 1980s and so made the mould for the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and Miley to bare nearly all in the name of entertainment.

So it almost seems cruel and petty to carp at the Material Girl as she continues in the same vein into middle age.

Madonna has built her career demolishing taboos, and the latest into which she is slinging her sledgehammer is that women in their 50s can’t be sexual objects.

It’s a worthy prejudice to smash, but it’s difficult to support her methods when they are utterly ridiculous. In December, Madonna posed topless for Interview magazine only for the images to be shared with the red tops, effectively turning her into a Page Three pin-up. Is that really what she intended? In the magazine photoshoot, there were some shots of her in pretty, lacy underwear. It was much more flattering and proved that old chestnut that some things are best left to the imagination.

Which brings us back to Madonna’s Grammy outfits. Cynics might say she only wore them to promote her music, but who’s talking about her latest release when she has her butt cheeks on show in public?

Ironically, for someone who has been such a trendsetter, she seems to have lost her touch. Never has it been so cool and sexy to be an older woman in the public eye. In recent months we have seen 69-year-old actress Charlotte Rampling model for trendy cosmetic brand Nars, 80-year-old author Joan Didion becoming the face of couture label Céline and songstress Joni Mitchell as the muse for Yves Saint Laurent’s latest collections at the age of 72. Last year, high street brand & Other Stories set the bandwagon rolling by using 93-year-old New York fashionista Iris Apfel to model their clothing ahead of their launch stateside. None have had to bare flesh in the task.

And there is further evidence of older woman looking sassy and stylish (but fully dressed) in the movie Advanced Style, filmed among the 60-somethings of New York. The movie is scheduled to be shown at City Screen during Fashion City York in April.

Maybe Madonna should buy a ticket.

 

• ST Leonard’s Hospice in York is 30 years old this week. Over the three decades, staff and a team of dedicated volunteers have helped the sick and their families at the darkest times of their lives, offering the unique package of comfort and care upon which the hospice movement has been built.

Today, the hospice is a 20-bed unit, looking after 850 patients each year, 350 at home and about 500 in their own homes through its Hospice@Home initiative.

It costs £4 million each year to run the hospice. Only £1 million of this comes from the public purse, the rest from donations, legacies and fundraising.

For its 30th anniversary year, the hospice will launch the St Leonard’s Care Everywhere appeal, seeking to raise £30,000 to provide three support vehicles for Hospice@Home.

Hospice chief executive Martyn Callaghan says one in three people in York will have contact with St Leonard’s at some point, either through the hospice caring for them, or a friend or a loved one.

It’s time to dig deep and show our thanks.