Madonna, we salute you

Helen Of Troy... hero Madonna turned 50 this week. Among the celebratory articles and pats on the back were a saddening number of sneery asides questioning whether Madge should swap her leotard and disco dancing for a nice tweed twin set and cup of tea. Tina Turner also came under fire earlier this year for her figure-hugging silver Grammy Awards outfit. These detractors seem to have no problem with Iggy Pop prowling the stage with his chest (and sometimes his cock) out, so why is the sight of a woman in her 50s, with a body that could make a twenty-year-old weep with envy, so completely abhorrent.

Happily, it's the sneerers, not Madge, who seem outdated. 50 is no longer a cut-off point where women must accept invisibility and deny any last vestiges of socially acceptable sexuality. There are plenty of pentagenarians who are sexy as fuck. Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Stone and Meryl Streep to name just a few.

Being told to cover up is nothing new for Madonna, so we doubt very much she's sat at home sobbing into her sequined leotard. Lets just hope she does what she's always done and gives a big twos up to her detractors by kick-starting yet another fashion phenomenon. To celebrate the sartorial success of our favourite fierce female, here are some of our favourite Madonna outfits.