She’s not the little girl we remember! Madonna‘s eldest child is all grown up at 23 and turned heads after her scandalous appearance at the racy Desigual show at the Miami Art Basel. The racy production featured Lourdes Leon, 23, and other models — with their private parts barely covered — in a simulated orgy, as they grinded and rubbed up against each other on-stage. The graphic show certainly took some inspiration from Madge’s banned Justify My Love video, and 1992 coffee table book Sex as they simulated sex acts in front of a live audience. Here’s 5 things to know about singer, model and fashion designer Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.
1. She’s Madonna’s daughter. Lourdes is the daughter of Madonna and and her ex Carlos Leon, who is a Cuban actor. The pair met in 1994 when Carlos worked as the “Music” singer’s personal trainer, and welcomed Lourdes two years later on October 14, 1996. After three years together the couple — who were rumored to be engaged — called it quits. Famed film director Guy Ritchie became the brunette’s stepdad after marrying her mom in 2000, producing Lola’s brother Rocco Ritchie, 19, and adopted brother David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie, 14. After Madonna and Guy split in 2008, the singer adopted Lourdes’ younger siblings Mercy James, 13, Estere Ciccone, 7, and Stella Ciccone, 7.
2. She’s worked as a fashion designer. Lourdes is no stranger to the fashion industry, and partnered with her mother to launch the Material Girl clothing line back in 2010. Inspired by Madonna’s legendary 1980’s looks and her 1985 single, the teen line was successfully launched with 14-year-old Lourdes as the face and continues to be in Macy’s stores today. At launch, the fashion line also featured another daughter of a music superstar, when Kelly Osbourne was named the spokesperson of Material Girl in 2011. Since, Sofia Richie, Zendaya, Rita Ora and Georgia May Jagger have all appeared in campaigns.
3. She’s a smart cookie. When Lourdes moved to London with her mom at just four years old, she was enrolled full-time at a bilingual French language school. She then earned her diploma from the La Guardia School of Performing Arts in New York in 2014, and pursued her post-secondary education at Madonna’s alma-mater: the University of Michigan. Lourdes took classes in undergrad in music, theatre and dance over her four-years at the school, and has since pursued a career in singing and modeling!
4. She’s a successful model. After working as a Creative Director for her Material Girl and occasionally popping up front row at fashion shows, the 5’7″ brunette made her runway debut in a barely-there seashell bra at CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award show in 2018. She starred in her first major campaign for Miu Miu earlier this year, which featured Lourdes posing in the back of a car in a dramatic, dimly lit shoot. She was also the face of Stella McCartney’s POP fragrance, and has been seen walking in shows for Jeremy Scott and Gypsy Sport. In addition to her work in modeling, she’s also dabbled in music and is credited on her mom’s album MDNA as a back-up vocalist. “I’m green with envy because she’s incredible at everything she does – she’s an incredible dancer, she’s a great actress, she plays the piano beautifully, she’s way better than me in the talent department. But she doesn’t have the same drive,” Madonna said of her daughter to British Vogue in May 2019.
5. She dated Timothee Chalamet in high school. The duo met when they were both students at NYC’s La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and we’re going to guess they were the Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass of the school. Timothee opened up about his ex in an interview in 2017, implying that the pair are still friendly. “She hasn’t seen [Call Me by Your Name] yet, but she’s excited to. She teases me about it,” he spilled to Andy Cohen‘s on his SiriusXM radio show. “The movie itself she’s very excited about. … It’s the public appearance stuff around it, some of the late-night things I’ve done, I get made fun of.” Cute!