base talk Why Madonna never had a major public breakdown?

[Onyxmage]

Because she's a privileged white woman. 

[PoisonedIvy]

I think Madonna (& Taylor) have the ambition and the strength to handle the ascent to the peak of the music industry, more than any other women in history. Madonna handled it by coming off as bulletproof whereas Taylor wears her heart on her sleeve, but both of them are thick skinned and secure in themselves even if Taylor displays her vulnerabilities more. 

[Valgorie]

She's always been very assertive and knew how to navigate being famous. Even the times where she might have been "spiraling" (re: Erotica), it never felt like she lost control of her career.

[Punky Rooster]

Did you not see her performance at Maluma's concert a few years back? 

[Chris]

She may not have had a breakdown but when she entered her Erotica era.

 

 

The way she showed her insides and her titties all across America.

 

[narid]

It's her resilliance, which has drawn people to her during these four decades. 

 

It's also what atracts her haters and angers them, because she doesn't let the attacks affect her, at least not publicly.

 

Her trademark image is one of strengh and power.

 

There have been countless points in her career where the world has been absolutely vicious. Case in point is for example the accusations made about her when she adopted David. It was absolutely horrible. No one would be able to go through that and not let it impact their mental health.

 

I think in moments like those she sought refuge in family, those who love her, her work and art, and her own internal strength (instead of lashing out or seeking any other form of escapism).

[HausOfPunk]

She is an incredibly resilient individual. She has always had the "it's me against the world" mentality. Even at the height of her popularity, I don't think she ever felt truly embraced by the public and maybe knew in the back of her mind that things could turn on her at any moment. I wonder if losing her mother at an early age was what made her tough and fiercely independent, and gave her the ability to navigate fame better than other MPGs before and after her.

 

Also, her first true "flop" came almost a decade into her career. I think by then she was firmly established as a pop culture icon and had more experience behind her, so she was able to manage the blowback from the Erotica era with a little more professionalism.

[By the Water]

Madonna is smart. She knew those controversies were what made her popular. That also explains her behaviour for the past two decades

[Madaboutmusic]

As people have said, she has spoken openly about how difficult the Erotica/Sex backlash was on her personally - see her Billboard speech:
 

 

She talks about how she coped during that time and eventually pulled herself together, which thankfully allowed her to come back from it all.

[The7thStranger]

Madonna had been through so much hardship before she was ever famous, from the loss of her mother to the sexual assault to the loss of most of her friends during the AIDS crisis. And I think that toughened her up and prepared her for a very difficult time in the spotlight.

[Chris]

3 hours ago, The7thStranger said:

Madonna had been through so much hardship before she was ever famous, from the loss of her mother to the sexual assault to the loss of most of her friends during the AIDS crisis. And I think that toughened her up and prepared her for a very difficult time in the spotlight.

+ wanting be a mom in the mid 90s.