Tag: Marina Diamandis Madonna

For the past few years, MARINA has been living out the lyrics of her lead single from Princess of Power, “Butterfly.” Slowly changing shape inside a shroom-saturated chrysalis that has transformed her into a fundamentally “happier, more ‘up’” person. Not only that, but tripping on mushrooms also seemed to make her understand the wisdom of embracing one’s “fate”: that is to say, aging. Not necessarily in a “let me go gray (though MARINA already did do that for a period of time, starting during the lockdowns of 2020) and lose all sense of pride in my appearance” kind of way, but rather, in a way that acknowledges the passage of time. This done, first and foremost, with her inspiration behind “Cuntissimo,” which stemmed from MARINA looking specifically toward older women as her “totems.” Not just in the lyrical content (e.g., “Push-up bra, in my diamonds/Gift from my ex-husband”), but in terms of “how to be” in general as she was made keenly aware of “leaving girlhood behind” this year.

So it is that she wanted to stop “idolizing” or “glamorizing” youth and putting the especial pressure on herself about “staying young.” Not only as a woman (the gender that always experiences the most stress when it comes to “being hot,” which remains synonymous with being young), but as a pop star. Thus, in order to help her on her journey toward this form of “aging acceptance,” MARINA created a mood board (both literally and figuratively) consisting of such icons as Salma Hayek (name-checked in “Cuntissimo”), Thelma and Louise (also name-checked in “Cuntissimo”), Sophia Loren, Eartha Kitt, Jamie Lee Curtis and Madonna (specifically during her The Immaculate Collection photoshoot).

And while Madonna is the undisputed pioneer of breaking down barriers for female pop stars to even be “allowed” to keep making music/remain “relevant” past a certain age (i.e., twenty-five), MARINA appears to be the first one to not bother trying to seem younger than she really is (because, yes, it’s no secret that Madonna has made her fair share of bids, particularly on the surgical front, to remain as fresh as possible). An effort that has been concerted in the years leading up to her fortieth birthday on October 10, 2025. In fact, the day before her big “decade shift,” MARINA shared the image of a letter she had written to herself a year ago about where she wanted to be at this juncture. A peak example of her “manifesting” capabilities. Of the sort she also displayed when she wrote Love + Fear’s “Enjoy Your Life,” a track that was, despite the positivity oozing from it, written at a time when MARINA was quite depressed. To pull herself out of this state, it was as though she had to trick her mind into believing she was this exuberant, this “chill” about everything (e.g., “Sit back and enjoy your problems/You don’t always have to solve them/‘Cause your worst days, they are over/So enjoy your life”).

This was before mushrooms entered her life and “positivity” became so much easier to unlock. And, of all the songs on Princess of Power, “Rollercoaster” most clearly embodies the way in which she “altered her mind” to tap into an entirely new way of thinking. Not just about the present, but her future. One in which she realizes, “I wanna go where the free ones live now/Never going back to the place I lived, no.” And the place she once lived was in the petty concerns and fears wrought by youth (more accurately, trying to cling to it), the very thing that society tells women is the most/best they’ll ever have to offer. To this point, MARINA stated during The Zach Sang Show, “The trick of the patriarchy is to make you think that your value disappears after you’re, like, not deemed ‘attractive.’ But you look at these older women and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s when they actually step into their power.’ So, like, that’s what’s waiting for you on the other side. And it’s just such a shame that that’s kind of, like, covered with this superficial thing. This idea that we think wrinkles equals ‘not beautiful.’”

Of course, MARINA still struggles with “fully letting go” of the indoctrination that comes not just with being a regular “adult girl,” but one who has worked in “the industry” for years. So it is that she admitted during her Eat the World Q&A in London that she wouldn’t necessarily rule out Botox, etc., what with even the steeliest force not being immune to the pressures of Hollywood. But even so, turning forty this year forced her to ask the question (also on The Zach Sang Show), “How do I wanna feel as I get older?” Answering herself with, “I don’t wanna feel ashamed about it, I don’t wanna feel like I have to hang on to youth. I want to have the same space that men are given to age. And I also wanna accrue all the positive things that men do, which is wisdom, knowledge, respect, power. And I think we’re in such a perfect place for that to be in motion.”

Alas, she seems to be more than slightly overlooking the fact that it’s not in motion at all, but rather, at a simultaneous standstill/in a time machine going backward. This much made evident by the current U.S. administration, as well as Taylor Swift’s tradwife-touting The Life of a Showgirl (which, yes, is ironic, considering the life of a showgirl should come across as being way more freeing and salacious).

 And one supposes that this is what makes a pop star like MARINA so important at this particular moment in time. A woman who is in total control of herself (without using horrifying terms like “girlboss”), freely pronounces that she’s fine being perennially single and conscientiously child-free. She is a woman who insists, “Spread me like a picnic on the floor in the forest/‘Cause I don’t wanna live if I can’t be honest.”

Right now, the honest truth for MARINA is this: “I don’t think older women get celebrated enough. And now that I’m… ‘ta-ta-ing’ to youth and, like, waving goodbye to it, I was, like, what is my future?” If 2024’s Eat the World and this year’s Princess of Power are to be consistent benchmarks that foretell what it might be (at least creatively speaking), MARINA’s looks very promising/embracing of her age and whatever comes with it—physically and emotionally. Which means that she’s establishing a healthy example for those pop stars coming up in the present, arguably being the first truly modern woman to do so.