Madonna [1] has kept the world captivated for three decades now, and she doesn't have plans to stop anytime soon. The music legend and Carpool Karaoke queen [2] appears in the February issue of Harper's Bazaar [3], and her accompanying interview is just as unexpected as she is. From speaking at length about her distaste for Donald Trump [4] to having lovers three decades her junior [5], the 58-year-old is an open book.
On pushing boundaries in her everyday life: "I've always felt oppressed. I know a lot of people would go, 'Oh, that's ridiculous for you to say that. You're a successful white, wealthy pop star,' but I've had the sh*t kicked out of me for my entire career, and a large part of that is because I'm female and also because I refuse to live a conventional life. I've created a very unconventional family. I have lovers who are three decades younger than me. This makes people very uncomfortable. I feel like everything I do makes people feel really uncomfortable."
On the presidential election results: "On election night I was sitting at a table with my agent, who is also one of my very best friends, and we were truly praying . . . It was just like watching a horror show . . . I went to sleep, and since that night, I wake up every morning and it's like when you break up with somebody who has really broken your heart. You wake up and for a second you're just you, and then you go, 'Oh, the person I love more than anything has just broken my heart, and I'm devastated and I'm broken and I have nothing. I'm lost.' That's how I feel every morning. I wake up and I go, 'Wait a second. Donald Trump [7] is the president. It's not a bad dream. It really happened.' It's like being dumped by a lover and also being stuck in a nightmare."
On her core beliefs as an artist and woman: "I believe in freedom of expression, I don't believe in censorship. I believe in equal rights for all people. And I believe women should own their sexuality and sexual expression. I don't believe there's a certain age where you can't say and feel and be who you want to be."
