'Madonna is not embarrassing. But you are for thinking it.'

The Met Gala ball arrived this week and the red carpet was flooded with a celebrities trying to outdo each other with outlandish outfits.

And apparently that’s okay, if you are a 25-year-old model or a reality TV star like Kylie Jenner who is famous for a lip gloss range and looking like a cardboard cutout of her sister Kim – albeit a younger, shinier version.

But not if you are a 57-year-old popstar Madonna who turned up in a revealing Givenchy outfit that showed her bum cheeks and her breasts, covered with some black lace.

I wasn't surprised Madonna turned up showing her bum. I would have been disappointed if she hadn't. Madonna's career has always been about theatre. And costume. She has reinvented her look countless times and it's almost always been outrageous.

I also wasn't surprised the outfit drew criticism from people who suggested she was too old and should be embarrassed wearing that sort of outfit - even at the most crazy fashion event of the year.

Monique Bowley just wanted to know how she was going to go to the toilet. Post continues below. 

But you know what? If you were one of those people rolling your eyes and telling Madonna to dress her age, it says something far more embarrassing about you than it does about her.

You need people in your life who will tell you the truth, otherwise you'll end up like Madonna. pic.twitter.com/5VeRKJX57Z

— TracieEganMorrissey (@TracieMorrissey) May 3, 2016

Put. It. Away. @Madonna pic.twitter.com/hedhYHIas4 — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) May 3, 2016

Your reaction shows you have fallen victim to one of the most alarming and entrenched views about women and their place in society.

It's the view that says old women shouldn't show off. It says they shouldn't show their skin. They shouldn't be loud or outrageous. They shouldn't speak up. And they certainly shouldn't try to be sexy. Actually don't even mention sex and older women because that's just GROSS.

Older women are allowed to be quietly stylish. They can be like Helen Mirren who is “gracefully ageing”. They can also be grandmothers and look after their children's kids.

But what you can't be is what Madonna has always been -a headstrong, independent shit-stirrer.

That's okay for young women. Or even men. Those Rolling Stones keep rolling out their jaded old act and people keep rocking up to celebrate those legends of music. Or how about Prince who was celebrated for his quirky sex appeal right up until the day he died. He was 57 too.

Listen to the Mamamia Out Loud team discuss her outfit below. Post continues after audio... 

But Madonna? Well, she's a chick. And she’s an old chick. So shut up. Right?

Madonna probably wasn't surprised she copped such an almighty bagging about her outfit. Once the most famous pop star on the planet, she has become an object of ridicule in recent years.

There has even been a curious glee about her custody battle with her ex husband, director Guy Richie, over their son Rocco, 15 -  the implication being that 'if you weren't such an embarrassing old broad, your son would probably like you'.

Whatever you think of her music or her parenting, Madonna is an artist. She always has been. You don't need to love her art, but that's how she defines herself. She is singer, a songwriter, a dancer, an actor and even a director. She has worked at it tirelessly since she was a teen.

For too long women have been told how they can behave. Good girls, bad girls, Princesses and whores.

But Madonna won't play by those rules. We should be thanking her for being one of the few older female celebrities who refuses to give two shits about rules that are ultimately designed to keep women in their place.

Hey lets all wear black! ???? Met Ball 2016!

A photo posted by Madonna (@madonna) on May 2, 2016 at 9:11pm PDT

I want my daughters to grow up looking at someone like Madonna, knowing they can slay this world and they don't need to stand around asking permission and playing by shitty rules. I want them to know that women do not expire in value when they get old.

I love that Madonna refuses to lay down within the very narrow boundaries of what an older woman is supposed to look like.

All her life she has asked women to look beyond the predictable, to step out of the narrow confines or what society expects.

When Madonna swept onto the music charts she took the breath away of millions of young women with her fearless message of female empowerment.

Her music may no longer thrill me but she continues to inspire with her fearless approach to life.

She won't go out of this world quiet and meek, wondering if she's wrung the  most out of her short time on earth.

She will go out with her middle finger cocked at the naysayers.

And I couldn't admire her more.

Click through the gallery to see Madonna's many quirky looks over the years. Post continues after gallery...

But enough from me... here are Madonna's words on the subject, penned in an Instagram post past night. I hope they make you think.

'We have fought and continue to fight for civil rights and gay rights around the world. When it comes to women's rights we are still in the dark ages.

'My dress at the Met Ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement,' she went on. 'The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an ageist and sexist society.

'I have never thought in a limited way and I'm not going to start. We cannot effect change unless we are willing to take risks. By being fearless and by taking the road less traveled by. That's how we change history.

'If you have a problem with the way I dress it is simply a reflection of your prejudice,' she concluded. ' I'm not afraid to pave the way for all the girls behind me‼’