Madonna has been called many things in her extremely successful pop career. A fashion icon. A trend setter. A feminist. And now, someone who exposes fans on stage.

The story goes like this: Earlier this month, Madonna invited a 17-year-old girl onto the stage in Brisbane, Australia.

“She’s the kind of girl you just want to slap on the ass — and pull,” Madonna said to the crowd, and then, she did just that. It was a second of nudity before the teen pulled back her top. They hugged. She left.

After the concert, the teen announced she wasn’t embarrassed and that she is the only one who gets to decide if the moment was humiliating or not.

While it is true a bare breast is nothing to be ashamed about and that people have the right to dictate what is done to their own body, the fact of the matter is the teen didn’t have a choice when Madonna pulled down her top.

This is not Madonna’s first offense. Last year, Madonna kissed Drake on the Coachella stage. Based on Drake’s reaction, it was unexpected. This sparked an internet firestorm of both Madonna and Drake denying and accepting that the kiss was consensual, with Drake claiming that his negative response was simply the taste of Madonna’s lipstick.

In the case of the under-aged fan, Madonna abused power by using the fan’s admiration and respect for shock value. And now, a girl who is not a celebrity — despite the fact that she is an aspiring model — will forever have that video of her chest exposed on the internet.

Madonna hasn’t seemed to have learned her lesson, which is that every human being on the planet, regardless of gender, has the right to their own body and the right to makes choices about it.

This isn’t really about music. This isn’t really about Madonna. This is simply about asking instead of just taking something from another human being. Madonna should not have kissed Drake without asking, just as she should not have pulled down her fan’s top.

Even claiming the fan was OK with it is a ludicrous defense because Madonna can’t read minds. She had no way of knowing that the teen felt comfortable exposing her breasts on stage and thus had no right to do that.

With Drake, Madonna claimed that he had “begged” for a kiss. But that doesn’t work as an excuse because people are allowed to change their minds. Maybe Drake wanted a kiss from Madonna yesterday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that he wanted one on that Coachella stage.

This all comes down to one thing: Madonna isn’t a feminist. Maybe she was once, but certainly not anymore.

Feminism, for me, is about a lot of things. The wage gap, gender, sexuality — and yes, consent. And by ignoring an individual’s right to their own body, Madonna doesn’t support men or women. She’s just supporting herself.

Emera Riley is a sophomore magazine journalism major. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. You can email her at elril100@syr.edu or follow her on Twitter @emerariley.

Published on March 29, 2016 at 8:08 pm