Cher's still wearing nipple tassels at 71. Deal with it

Cher has some commentators in a tizzy about women, ageing and dress codes, writes Radhika Sanghani

There was only one thought in my mind when I saw Cher performing at the Billboard Music Awards in a diamond-studded bra and pink heart-shaped nipple pasties: are nude fishnets back in fashion?

Not everyone had the same reaction.

Piers Morgan asked his fellow Good Morning Britain hosts Susanna Reid and Kate Garraway: "At what point do Cher's outfits become inappropriate?" (The singer turned 71 last Sunday.)

"Come on Cher, for goodness' sake, love," he continued. "She's a grandmother, for goodness' sake, just put it away, grow old gracefully."

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Morgan is no stranger to body- and age-shaming women. But unleashing his bitterness on Cher is a new low.

A performance from Cher would not be true to herself without at least one see-through sparkly leotard. She's been singing in outrageous clothing (or a lack of it) for decades. No one - least of all her adoring fans - expects her to stop doing this.

The only reason Morgan is complaining now is because Cher is no longer in her 30s, or 40s. She is - gasp - a 71-year-old woman, and in Morgan's mind, this means she has to dress like one.

And he's not a lone voice in such criticisms - with others on social media pouring scorn on Cher's stage outfit (yes, remember, she was on stage - not doing the weekly supermarket shop).

"Oh dear #Cher how unclassy can you be? Feminazism isn't classy no matter the age. Please don't bring the respectable elder generation down," tweeted Craig Alexander Goff (@Cmatthewgoff).

I can't help but wonder exactly what it is about Cher's outfit that offends.

The issue of critics like Morgan isn't that Cher can't pull off a leotard. Indeed, when Garraway and Reid pointed out how incredible she looks, Morgan essentially agreed: "Well it's surgery, we know it is, she's had endless plastic surgery. You don't just wake up at 70 looking like that, do you?"

His issue is that an older woman had the sheer nerve not to ''put it away" and ''cover up". Talk about being stuck in the 1950s.

Indeed, he levelled the same criticism at Madonna after the 2016 Met Gala, when he tweeted: ''Put. It. Away."

Naturally, Madonna put him in his place, writing on Instagram: "When it comes to women's rights, we are still in the Dark Ages. The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an ageist and sexist society. I have never thought in a limited way and I'm not going to start.

"We cannot affect change unless we are willing to take risks by being fearless and by taking the road less travelled. That's how we change history.

"If you have a problem with the way I dress it is simply a reflection of your prejudice. I'm not afraid to pave the way for all the girls behind me."

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Madonna summed up the issue society has with older women: when you get to a certain age, you're expected to behave in a certain way, whether that means covering up, staying away from younger men before being slapped with the predatory ''cougar" label, or ''gracefully" stepping aside from the fame game.

What a shame Morgan wasn't listening.

We still have a long way to go before older women are respected in our society. So often they're invisible - who can blame Cher for wanting to be seen? It's only with the help of fearless women like her and Madonna (in her 50s) that anything will ever change.

As Cher put it on Monday: "I'm 71 yesterday! And I can do a five-minute plank, okay? Just saying." - The Daily Telegraph, London