Pop icon Madonna has defied the odds and broken boundaries throughout her multi-decade-long career. She is a singer, performer and pop culture icon. Madonna has given us plenty of hits, defining the course of pop music and ultimately giving her the moniker the “Queen of Pop.”
Madonna was born on Aug. 16, 1958, making her 65 years old today. Originally from Michigan, the aspiring star moved to New York City in the late 1970s to pursue a career in dance before finally finding success as a solo singer. She has since released a plethora of No. 1 hits, including “Papa Don’t Preach,” “Like a Prayer,” and “Vogue.”
However, great music and iconic fashionable looks are not the only cultural contributions that the star has given the world. Madonna is also a mother to six children, with a mix of both biological and adopted children, resulting in a diverse and talented family.
As the world has watched these kids grow up, it’s become clear that all of Madonna’s children have her confidence, sense of style and fashionable flair. Her children include Lourdes “Lola” Maria Ciccone Leon, Rocco Ritchie, David Banda Mwale Ciccone, Chifundo Mercy James, and twins Stella and Estere Ciccone.
Her eldest daughter, Leon, in particular, takes after her mother. Like Madonna, Leon has been unafraid to challenge the status quo and break the norms from time to time.
In 2022, Leon shocked many as she posed for a campaign for Palace Skateboards and Calvin Klein that highlighted one of the most natural things that every human experiences – body hair.
While it has been a common practice, especially for women, to shave or pluck their armpit hair, Leon was confident enough to show her underarm hair off in a photoshoot, prompting other people to react negatively.
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In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Madonna talked about how her two biological children, Ritchie and Leon, took on some of her characteristics. When talking about Leon, Madonna said her daughter “is insanely talented.” She said:
“I’m green with envy because she’s incredible at everything she does — she’s an incredible dancer, she’s a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, she’s way better than me in the talent department.”
Leon has kept a pretty low profile over the years, although she has shared moments of her life on her Instagram, as well as during interviews. She was also featured in the September 2021 issue of Vogue. During her interview with the magazine, she explained how she paid for college at the University of Michigan’s school of dance by herself.
“People think I’m this talentless rich kid who’s had everything given to her, but I’m not,” Leon said.
Nevertheless, Leon is forging her own path as a model, and it also keeps her financially independent. In conversation with actress Debi Mazar — who has been a close friend of Madonna’s since her early days in New York — for Interview Magazine, Leon said that she doesn’t “have a specific goal” for now, but she did describe what she’s focused on for work.
“Financially, modeling is a smart decision. I enjoy being very hands on with the campaigns I do, so that I’m not just modeling, per se. I dance, I have a very specific sense of style, and I’m interested in aesthetics, so I like to incorporate all those parts of myself into my projects,” she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Leon and Mazar touched on the topic of social media, including Instagram, which is the platform where she had a particularly difficult time when her Calvin Klein campaign was published.
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Asked about what sage advice her mother has given to her, Leon recalled a rather poignant reminder that had struck her.
“She was like, “Remember, this s––t is not real. It’s not about the money or your face or how hot you look. It’s about what you’re bringing into the world and what you’re going to leave behind.” That always shakes me awake when I get too caught up in everything,” Leon told Mazar in the Interview Magazine piece.
For the 26-year-old celebrity child, that particular reminder was relevant, especially to her, who grew up on social media. She noted that “Instagram is not real,” and it was “the biggest lie of all time” because of how people create personas who they were nothing like in person.”
With this sense of self-assurance and nonchalance to the backlash, Leon has grown more confident. That is why, despite the flak and criticism she received for her 2022 campaign with Calvin Klein, she has remained an unbothered queen.
In her photos, she proudly showcased her armpit hair in the most fashionable way she could. This was not the first time she showed her body hair off — during the 2021 Met Gala, she made headlines as she strutted the red carpet confidently with it.
While some people seemed to think that unshaven armpit hair for women is “gross,” others seemed to think it was acceptable since it was just hair.
“Our society is full of misogynism, homophobia, racism, & ignorance. I suppose her pics would be more acceptable by society if she exposes t––ts & a––s. Unlike a man, she can’t show hairy pits. I congratulate LOLA for being a rebel & proving a point. She’s fantastic & fascinating,” a fan shared.
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What can you say about Lola Leon’s armpit hair? Do you think it is acceptable for women to grow their armpit hair if they want to? Would you have done the same as her? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones!
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