Madonna has criticised Instagram for taking down photos in which her nipple was exposed, saying she is grateful she has maintained her sanity “through four decades of censorship…… sexism……ageism and misogyny”.
The singer, 63, raised eyebrows with a string of pictures in which she is writhing on top of and under a bed in fishnet tights, a cut-out bra which reveals parts of her breasts, a thong and high-heeled shoes.
The Hung Up star said the photos had been taken down by the social media site and said it was “astounding” that women can show any part of their body except their nipples.
Sharing the pictures again with heart emojis covering her modesty, she wrote: “I’m reposting photographs Instagram took down without warning or notification.
“The reason they gave my management that does not handle my account was that a small portion of my nipple was exposed.
“It is still astounding to me that we live in a culture that allows every inch of a woman’s body to be shown except a nipple. As if that is the only part of a woman’s anatomy that could be sexualized. The nipple that nourishes the baby!
“Can’t a mans nipple be experienced as erotic ??!! And what about a woman’s ass which is never censored anywhere.
“Giving thanks that I have managed to maintain my sanity through four decades of censorship…… sexism……ageism and misogyny.
“Perfectly timed with the lies we have been raised to believe about the pilgrims peacefully breaking bread with the Native American Indians when they landed on Plymouth Rock! God bless America.”
She added the hashtag “#artistsareheretodisturbthepeace”.
Madonna has stirred up controversy with her choices of explicit outfits over the decades.
In the early days of her career she pioneered the “underwear as outerwear” trend by wearing a corset body suit with conical bra cups, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier.
In 2016 she showed she was still happy to cause a stir on the red carpet when she arrived at the Met Gala in a bondage-inspired Givenchy outfit featuring leather, lace, thigh-high boots, a thong and nipple pasties.