Yes, I have dated younger men, so what's the big deal? Asks Madonna

The irony is many Hollywood actors have dated younger women. Photo: Shutterstock/ IndiaPictures

Double standards are everywhere, and the world of love and dating is no different. While it's okay for an older man to date--and even marry--a much-younger woman, when the roles are reversed people get really uncomfortable.

Even a pop icon like Madonna is not spared from the regressive duality of societal norms. In an interview to Harper's Bazaar, the 58-year-old singer went on to disclose that she is tired of a gender double-standard over her relationships with younger men. She also talked about how this makes her feel "oppressed."

"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," she told the magazine.  

"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 (sic)," she continued.

Madonna and her boyfriend Brahim Zaibat walk in a square in central Kiev. Photo: Reuters

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The singer has been vocal about her relationships that have often dragged her under the scrutiny of harsh public judgement.

Her romantic link-ups with French choreographer Brahim Zaibat, Dutch dancer Timor Steffens, and the most recently with Ivorian model Aboubakar Soumahoro made headlines. But, she has no qualms about it.

The irony is many Hollywood actors have dated younger women. Take the example of George and Amal Clooney. Sure, they are in the headlines too-but never once has the 55-year-old actor been ridiculed for marrying a woman 17 years her junior. Then there's the example of Michael Douglas and Catherine-Zeta Jones, who have a whopping age gap of 25 years! Yet, no gave a damn.

Since sexism manages to creep in almost everything in this world, it did not spare Madonna when she started dating men in their twenties.

Well, we don't see what the problem is. After all, the young lads do get to date Madonna. And we don't see them complaining.

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