She is the hot topic of all media outlets and one of the most watched and followed celebrities in the world at the moment.
Some love her, some hate her, and some are just confused but she certainly has everyone wondering what she is going to do next.
For many, it is hard to understand where Miley is coming from. I find myself stuck on the image of her as the tween star “Hannah Montana”.
And I am sure this image is one that Cyrus certainly wants to shake and that is no easy task.
As explained by Zack O’Malley Greenburg in an article for forbes.com, “Everything that Miley Cyrus has done over the past few months has been part of a concerted effort to put as much distance between the young star and the character she once played”
In this way, I feel some sympathy for Miley.
As non-celebrities, we can redefine ourselves as often as we want, at any point in our lives.
But it’s much harder to for anyone who is constantly in the public eye to separate themself from what they are most known for.
They may have grown and matured and see themselves in a completely different way but good luck getting the general public or your fan base on board with any drastic change.
The fact is that she will never be able to fully distance herself from Hannah Montana and there are probably many young girls watching Miley now and getting the wrong idea.
Her recent hits “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball” in addition to her highly controversial VMA performance have many people, including myself, questioning whether or not she is the kind of celebrity I want to be devoting any portion of my time, attention or money to.
Like it or not, embrace it or not, everyone who steps on the national stage or is constantly in the public eye is representing in some way or another a gender, age group and generation.
I, being a 20 year-old female, fall into the same groups as Miley Cyrus.
Whether she realizes it or not, she is setting new standards for women her age. We are influenced by the media and we are influenced by celebrities, it’s a fact.
Women and men alike watch Miley Cyrus and start to value what she values.
Her values may very well be deeper than what see on TV and in her videos but the over-arching value of all of her recent content is undeniably sexuality.
She seems to place that element of sexuality in almost everything, even to a point where it seems out of place or goes far beyond what normal societal standards deem as appropriate.
I fear that we may be replacing real talent with sex appeal and shock value but regardless if its right or wrong, it gets people talking and no one can really argue with her success.
In the Forbes article I previously mentioned, Adam Kluger, president of a product placement firm explains, “Miley went from like No. 350 on my list of most requested celebrities for brand partnerships to the top ten, practically overnight. She’s not difficult to sell. If it’s an edgy brand, it’s going to work.”
So whether you agree with her tactics or not, they’re working.
This type of content does have its place in society and after all, sex does sell.
I can’t speak for all women my age, but I can watch Miley Cyrus and still recognize that twerking, as entertaining as it may be, is a skill that is of very little value.
My hope that is that other females and males that also fall into these same social groups as Miley Cyrus will be able to overlook these over-sexualized themes and still enjoy Miley’s music if you must while taking her behavior with a grain of salt.
Bridget Goedke
Viewpoints Editor
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