Madonna‘s Instagram post on Tuesday, January 29, is photographic evidence that before the Queen of Pop became the sex icon of the 1980s, she was an awkward teenage — just like Us.
The throwback photo is a snap of her sister, Paula, and the icon on the day of Madonna’s high school graduation. In the aged shot, the singer’s long waves are a soft shade of brown — a striking contrast to what became her classic bombshell blonde. As for the colorfully patterned dresses she and her sister are wearing, it turns out the duo had sewn them themselves.
In the caption, the “Like a Virgin” singer said they used Butterick patterns to make the dresses from scratch. “I was always so embarrassed we could not afford store bought dresses,” she wrote in her caption. “In retrospect I’m glad I learned how to use a sewing machine.” So we can now add dressmaker to her long list of qualifications (as if she needed anymore).
She continued her caption pointing out another key difference in her modest high school appearance versus the look that made her an international pop star. “Notice no cleavage or bare knees,” she wrote. “Papa Ciccone was very strict.”
But it wouldn’t be long before she’d be writing lyrics like, “Papa I know you’re going to be upset ‘Cause I was always your little girl. But you should know by now I’m not a baby.”
This gawky image of Madonna is so not one we typically associate with her magnetic presence. But that’s all the more reason to love it. Although she’s been showing more glimpses of her life at home with her six kids on social media in the last year, the “Vogue” singer has never really been one of those celebrities that ever seemed relatable. After all she is a living legend, a music icon and a sexual revolutionary. But we loved that this latest Instagram was a reminder of her humble beginnings. Especially since her life in Michigan isn’t always something she likes to talk about.
Back in 2015, when Us Weekly asked what her favorite part about growing up in Michigan was, the performer responded, “I miss absolutely nothing about growing up in Michigan. Nothing at all.”
