Yes, the reaction could also be rooted in the disconnect between her current and past appearance. The comparison with tattoos is also apt. Many people who get tattoos in more traditional locations don't experience much pushback, but those who opt for less traditional placement or more extreme amounts often do face increased likelihood of judgement. Aesthetic preferences can be unique but that is not to deny that there is plenty of evidence for shared conceptions of beauty, influenced by social norms and often connected with evolutionarily-derived biases.
I honestly completely did not recognize her and maybe that is an underlying element of the response. We want to recognize those that we know, and falling back on evolutionary explanations, recognizing those we know to be "safe" or "not safe" is important for survival. So, not recognizing someone creates a sense of disorientation - and many people may feel a need to explain their feeling. I simply did not recognize her at all (I have a 1990's image in my mind) but I did not think she looked ugly or grotesque. It just wasn't "Madonna" and so I just dismissed whoever this imposter was! ;-) But recognizing people is central to our lives and she created a face that is so very different that it was impossible to see any vestige of her old self. Sort of like putting on a costume and mask but she cannot take hers off. And, IMHO, not a whole lot different than doing anything relatively permanent to ourselves, c.f., tattoos. Some people love them and some people don't.
Yes, the reaction could also be rooted in the disconnect between her current and past appearance. The comparison with tattoos is also apt. Many people who get tattoos in more traditional locations don't experience much pushback, but those who opt for less traditional placement or more extreme amounts often do face increased likelihood of judgement. Aesthetic preferences can be unique but that is not to deny that there is plenty of evidence for shared conceptions of beauty, influenced by social norms and often connected with evolutionarily-derived biases.
I honestly completely did not recognize her and maybe that is an underlying element of the response. We want to recognize those that we know, and falling back on evolutionary explanations, recognizing those we know to be "safe" or "not safe" is important for survival. So, not recognizing someone creates a sense of disorientation - and many people may feel a need to explain their feeling. I simply did not recognize her at all (I have a 1990's image in my mind) but I did not think she looked ugly or grotesque. It just wasn't "Madonna" and so I just dismissed whoever this imposter was! ;-) But recognizing people is central to our lives and she created a face that is so very different that it was impossible to see any vestige of her old self. Sort of like putting on a costume and mask but she cannot take hers off. And, IMHO, not a whole lot different than doing anything relatively permanent to ourselves, c.f., tattoos. Some people love them and some people don't.