Madonna Criticized for Promotional Images Depicting Civil Rights Leaders

BY Alex HudsonPublished Jan 2, 2015

Madonna has been no stranger to controversy throughout her lengthy career, and now the button-pushing pop star is at it again. The latest furor surrounds a series of promotional photos posted on Twitter and Instagram, which use images of Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley.

The pictures in question depict the iconic freedom fighters with microphone cables wrapped around their faces; this is how Madge appears on the cover of her impending album, Rebel Heart (above). Each image contains a caption describing the subject as a "#rebelheart" — a move seemingly intended to compare Madonna with these famous figures.

Many commenters have taken exception to the images, with a large number of responders condemning Madonna or asking her to stop the campaign. See the offending photos below.

Stereogum points out that Madonna and her team may not have created the slightly amateur-looking images themselves. Instagram user @skinbruno posted to complain that the singer allegedly shared his work without credit.

This isn't the first time Madonna has encountered trouble in the lead-up to Rebel Heart. A batch of unfinished demos recently leaked onto the internet, prompting the singer to announce the album early and roll out a few cuts ahead of time. The album is due out on March 10 on Interscope Records.

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