It’s hard to be an older female artist. Look at the sexist snark thrown at Madonna

‘She wants us to look at ourselves and ask what we’re so feeling so judgy about, exactly.’ Photograph: Eduardo Muñoz/Reuters

I’ll never forget an interview with the singer Henry Rollins I saw years ago. He was talking about Madonna – he’s long been an outspoken fan – and he said: “When you’re sleeping, she is working.”

Over the last 40 years of an amazing career, Madonna has gained a reputation as one of the hardest-working people in show business. Her intense work ethic was seen again recently when she put the cast of her now shelved biopic through a grueling “bootcamp”, which reportedly included training sessions lasting up to 11 hours a day.