Madonna: 'I've Always Felt Oppressed'

Madonna is iconic on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine’s February 2017 issue, on newsstands January 17.

Here’s what the 58-year-old superstar had to share with the mag:

On feeling oppressed and living an unconventional 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 shit 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 election results and president-elect Donald Trump: “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 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 censorship, equality, and sexual expression: “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.”

For more from Madonna, visit HarpersBazaar.com.