Throughout years of reinvention, she has steadfastly stuck to one mantra - sex sells.
But now, after making a career as a controversial, no-holds-barred sex siren, Madonna has admitted that she pushed her explicit image too far.
At 46, she has spoken out against her early, headline-grabbing years, claiming that they may have misled her legion of young fans.
<REPLACE align="right" type="morelinks">'Sometimes I was being overtly sexual for the sake of showing off when I didn't need to be. I think I hurt myself,' the singer told the American magazine, Ladies' Home Journal.
'Ultimately none of us wants to be judged, or approved of, or loved because of the way we look, or how sexy we are.
'One minute I was saying believe in yourself and the next minute I was saying just be sexually provocative for the sake of being sexually provocative.
She's still an attention whore.
