Madonna took to the stage of the Grammys on Sunday to introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

The appearance led to an explosion of comments on Twitter — not about the content of her introduction, but about the appearance of her facial features.

In fact, her appearance at the award show was met with a seemingly endless stream of snarky comments implying the music icon has had some work done.

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Madonna apparently caught wind of the backlash, and responded with a scathing statement she issued via Instagram.

“It was an honor for me to introduce Kim Petras and Sam Smith at the Grammys. I had wanted to give the last award which was Album of the year, but I thought it was more important that I present the first trans- woman performing at the Grammys— a History making moment!! And on top of that she won a Grammy,” Madonna wrote.

“Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me Taken with a long lens camera By a press photographer that Would distort anyone’s face!!” she continued. “Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women pass the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous.”

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She went on to point that she she’s “never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start. I have been degraded by the media since the beginning of my career but I understand that this is all a test and I am happy to do the trailblazing so that all the women behind me can have an easier time in the years to come,” and referenced Beyonce’s lyrics, “You won’t break my soul.”

She concluded, by writing, “I look forward to many more years of subversive behavior -pushing boundaries-Standing up to the patriarchy -and Most of all enjoying my life,” adding, “Bow down b***hes! 💃🏼🪩🎤💄🎼👠”

Madonna also shared some words on Twitter.

“The world is threatened by my power and my stamina. My intelligence and my will to survive. But they will never break me,” she wrote, adding, “this is all the test.”

In the face of the backlash, Madonna’s fans took to Twitter to rush to her defence.