Madonna: 'I refused to shave my armpits as a teen'

Madonna has revealed that she was often made fun of as a teen growing up in rural Michigan.

The 'Give Me All Your Love' singer said that she was picked on by boys at school, many of whom called her names.



"The boys in my school would make fun of me. 'Hairy monster'. You know, things like that," Madonna recalled in a new interview with Harper's Bazaar.

"And then, going to high school, I saw how popular girls had to behave to get the boys. I knew I couldn't fit into that. So I decided to do the opposite. I refused to wear makeup, to have a hairstyle. I refused to shave. I had hairy armpits."

The 53-year-old went on to say that the experience has stayed with her long after leaving it behind, adding: "For some reason, I feel like I never left high school, because I still feel that if you don't fit in, you're going to get your ass kicked.

"That hasn't really changed for me. I've always been acutely aware of differences and the way you are supposed to act if you want to be popular."

Madonna's brother Anthony Ciccone was recently revealed to have been homeless for the past year in their home state of Michigan.