She stood before the camera in a black leather jacket, tiny shorts and tall boots, a short wig crowning her head and vivid makeup drawn across her face. The image, posted by Anastasia Volochkova to her Instagram account, was immediately greeted by a chorus of scepticism. Some followers insisted that the 50-year-old could not look so youthful without the assistance of digital retouching.

Volochkova did not let the accusations pass. In the caption accompanying the photograph, she addressed those who had attributed her appearance to Photoshop, dismissing them as “narrow-minded” people who deserved only pity and compassion. “They cannot survive the true beauty, joy, happiness and love of other talented people and believe that this can be real,” the ballerina wrote.

The defiant snapshot follows a summer in which Volochkova has repeatedly drawn attention for her evolving style. Earlier this season, she was reported to have appeared at the VK Fest music festival sporting a new look, a signal that the dancer—long a lightning rod for public commentary—remains uninterested in dressing to anyone else’s expectations.