Positive: Alyson Russo
“Nobody’s perfect, I’m gonna work it, again and again till I get it right.” Although Miley Cyrus’s image has changed since singing as Hannah Montana six years ago, what she believes in has been consistent.
Cyrus has always been a woman of individuality. Even while her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, co-starred with her on Disney’s Hannah Montana, she sung of being considered as “one in a million.”
Today, Miley gives off a unique persona that is shocking to many. Young preteens did not expect their idol to turn into someone who is openly promoting sex and who barely resembles the women she once was.
Miley Cyrus has officially grown up. She can no longer be viewed as little Hannah Montana, and the public has had a difficult time accepting that. Cyrus’s youth was trimmed just as easily as those long locks of hair.
With that said, Miley does not deserve the criticism she is receiving because she is not creating a more negative picture than rappers, for example.
Take a look at Lil Wayne’s “Love Me” music video or “Get Low” by Lil Jon. In “Get Low,” conservative women dressed in business suits are being objectified sexually while artists are rapping about their bodies and looks in vulgar ways. Can you compare this to dancing teddy bears? Women in chains and on top of rappers in bed are not images celebrities should promote. Although Miley has revealed a new side of herself, she is paving the way for other women to be true to who they are.
Miley Cyrus sings about being your own person and living for yourself. “Only God can judge us, forget the haters, ‘cause somebody loves you,” is the advice she gives her listeners. In no way is Cyrus encouraging others to promote their bodies in negative, sexual ways.
Although her VMA performance of “We Can’t Stop” can be generalized as endorsing sex, think back to the 2003 incident involving Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. The three singers took to the VMA stage and shared a public kiss. If parents had to decide which is more difficult to explain to their children, a three-way, all girl make-out session seems like it would take the lead over one peron’s inappropriate dancing. Miley makes decisions for herself, but the kiss involved the poor decision of three people and was aired on national television.
Miley Cyrus is simply facing the reality of transitioning from a young girl to a young woman, all
while being watched by millions of Americans and people around the world.
Luckily, no matter what people say or see concerning Miley Cyrus, she is still climbing the charts as a successful feminist artist who is opening the world’s eyes to maturity and individuality.
Negative: Shenay Turner
Remember when little girls would watch Hannah Montana and bounce around, happily singing all of her songs? Remember after she finished working with Disney, Miley Cyrus began a stable music career, a fashionable clothing line, and was engaged to Liam Hemsworth? And who can forget the time she shook her behind all over someone’s husband, flailed her tongue around, and rubbed a foam finger all over herself for ‘entertainment’?
Don’t get me wrong; a lot of people see the positive aspects of Miley’s new persona. The way she acts can be viewed as a form of self-expression, which is a positive female characteristic. But as a role model for young girls everywhere, some forms of expression should not be shown in public or made to seem like normal. I’m sure it’s hard to see a former role model crush your hopes and dreams as she struts around in a plastic bikini, singing about doing drugs.
Miley has been receiving a lot of attention from the media lately. How can someone who was once so pure and sweet, turn out to be so raunchy and unimpressive? Miley’s new image has taken the world by storm, sparking up mixed feelings and controversial conversations. No one ever thought little Hannah Montana would affect femininity in such a colossal way.
When someone hears the word femininity, he or she may think of little girls twirling around in fluffy dresses, or a field of wildflowers with happy background music, or even a tampon commercial, but feminism is all about society’s influence on how women look and behave. The effects of Miley baring her body and acting inappropriately have already started to show through young girls across America. Recently, an 11-year-old girl from California was punished by her mom for twerking at her school dance. Not saying that Miley is ultimately to blame, but that young girl could have seen the performance and acted upon it
In an interview after the MTV Video Music Awards, Miley stated that the performance was ‘history making’ and that she was just being herself. And she was right. Almost a month later and everyone is still on the topic and will continue to be until something new and bizarre pops up. But it just seemed like Miley was begging for attention. She wanted to show people that she grew up, but she did it in an overly sexualized way. That’s a big blow to femininity because it promotes the idea that women need to show who they are by baring their skin and bragging about how much fun they have when they’re high on drugs.
All women need to embrace themselves and what they have to offer. This can be done in a number of ways, but it should be done in a respectable manner. Celebrities can do whatever they want to promote themselves and their businesses, but as powerful public figures and role models, they should act more conscientiously and set better examples. So ladies, yes, you can twerk, but try to be respectful about it.
*Photo is a screen shot of Cyrus’ music video “We Can’t Stop.”
