I've never understood the whole Miley Cyrus fever. Unfortunately..or fortunately..whichever way you look at it...my knowledge of her only extends to her role as Hannah Montana and that her dad was the villain behind that godawful song "Achy Breaky Heart"!?! So when the recent uproar of THAT infamous Vanity Fair photo hit the headlines, the first thought that came to mind was "About time!"
I'm not advocating for people like Miley to parade in their bras, appear half-naked or exploited as some sex object for the public though if you've seen our young ones these days, you'd be hard-pressed not to go up to them and give them a good telling off! I don't remember owning any sleeveless shirts/tank tops til I was probably 18..and even so, there were mostly worn as undergarments. As a celebrity and a role model for the tweens, Miley (as well as Disney) has a reputation to protect..one of innocence, strong family ties and most importantly, strict parental guidance (Jamie Lyn Spears anyone?) ...until THAT photo came along...and all hell broke loose..and somewhere along the chaos and outrage, I fail to find the logic behind the apology and excuse given.
As commented by Zoe Williams:
In other words, sexing up little girls is nothing new. Anyone old enough to remember a certain Brooke Shields back in the 80s when she appeared in the films Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon as well as in adverts for Calvin Klein Jeans? I recall seeing Brooke wearing almost next to nothing except her long hair covering her boobs and a loincloth for the bottom part in The Blue Lagoon and making out with her, correct me if I'm wrong, brother. As with Miley's case, Brooke's career was at that time managed by her mum, Teri who, many claimed, was behind the sexing up of Brooke's image and career.
As Michelle Renee wrote in her blog, "But Shields, and I am hoping Cyrus, had more to offer than the persona or brand crafted by the adults around her. Brooke went on to graduate from Princeton in 1987 and headlined her own critically applauded NBC sitcom, Suddenly Susan. She has two beautiful children, appeared on Entourage and Nip/Tuck, and is now on a hit show that I watch on NBC -- Candace Bushnell's (author of Sex and the City) Lipstick Jungle. The optimist in me wants to believe that Miley can take the bull by the horns, find her voice and turn this into a very positive learning experience and share that with others, particularly young girls who have no idea what a PR Machine (no, it isn't a new gaming device like Wii) is."
So the question is, what should Miley, and to a certain extent her folks, do to "repair the damage" that has been done?
"Miley is faced with another choice right now and is at one of those very definitive forks in the road. She can go one way in the direction of Lindsay-type disaster or, like Brooke Shields, choose the direction that will stop the speeding train before it jumps completely off the track. If she truly was uncomfortable at the photo shoot she can become a spokesperson and share with young girls the importance of self-esteem and how to use your voice when you are asked to do anything, even by your parents, that makes you uncomfortable about yourself, your body and the message you are sending out into the world. And if the pictures she took of herself were her expressing normal teen curiosity about her body and never meant to be shared, she can attest to the dangers of taking such pictures and posting inappropriate content online or in text messages. Bottom line: She, and her parents, have to cop to the mistakes, be honest and grow in a more positive direction in order to stop the train from derailing." Michelle Renee
I couldn't agree more!
Photo courtesy of Annie Leibovitz
I'm not advocating for people like Miley to parade in their bras, appear half-naked or exploited as some sex object for the public though if you've seen our young ones these days, you'd be hard-pressed not to go up to them and give them a good telling off! I don't remember owning any sleeveless shirts/tank tops til I was probably 18..and even so, there were mostly worn as undergarments. As a celebrity and a role model for the tweens, Miley (as well as Disney) has a reputation to protect..one of innocence, strong family ties and most importantly, strict parental guidance (Jamie Lyn Spears anyone?) ...until THAT photo came along...and all hell broke loose..and somewhere along the chaos and outrage, I fail to find the logic behind the apology and excuse given.
As commented by Zoe Williams:
"It's the insincerity of everyone concerned that really chokes me," she writes. "Not one person involved can seriously think Miley Cyrus had any kind of influence over this, or any other, image-building decision."
Meanwhile, Germaine Greer in the Guardian deconstructs the image in question:
"In western art most of the women portrayed semi-clad or totally nude are children ... When Lucian Freud paints girl children nobody cares ... Botticelli paints the yet-to-be-enjoyed goddess of love emerging from the sea, people come from all over the world to gape at her. The Greeks and Romans liked their goddesses meaty; our preferred Venuses are children. Hardy perennials such as Diane de Poitiers held their sway as long as they did because their bodies never matured. Kate Moss has been able to earn millions only as long as she could continue to project the body image of a 13-year-old."
"In western art most of the women portrayed semi-clad or totally nude are children ... When Lucian Freud paints girl children nobody cares ... Botticelli paints the yet-to-be-enjoyed goddess of love emerging from the sea, people come from all over the world to gape at her. The Greeks and Romans liked their goddesses meaty; our preferred Venuses are children. Hardy perennials such as Diane de Poitiers held their sway as long as they did because their bodies never matured. Kate Moss has been able to earn millions only as long as she could continue to project the body image of a 13-year-old."
In other words, sexing up little girls is nothing new. Anyone old enough to remember a certain Brooke Shields back in the 80s when she appeared in the films Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon as well as in adverts for Calvin Klein Jeans? I recall seeing Brooke wearing almost next to nothing except her long hair covering her boobs and a loincloth for the bottom part in The Blue Lagoon and making out with her, correct me if I'm wrong, brother. As with Miley's case, Brooke's career was at that time managed by her mum, Teri who, many claimed, was behind the sexing up of Brooke's image and career.
As Michelle Renee wrote in her blog, "But Shields, and I am hoping Cyrus, had more to offer than the persona or brand crafted by the adults around her. Brooke went on to graduate from Princeton in 1987 and headlined her own critically applauded NBC sitcom, Suddenly Susan. She has two beautiful children, appeared on Entourage and Nip/Tuck, and is now on a hit show that I watch on NBC -- Candace Bushnell's (author of Sex and the City) Lipstick Jungle. The optimist in me wants to believe that Miley can take the bull by the horns, find her voice and turn this into a very positive learning experience and share that with others, particularly young girls who have no idea what a PR Machine (no, it isn't a new gaming device like Wii) is."
So the question is, what should Miley, and to a certain extent her folks, do to "repair the damage" that has been done?
"Miley is faced with another choice right now and is at one of those very definitive forks in the road. She can go one way in the direction of Lindsay-type disaster or, like Brooke Shields, choose the direction that will stop the speeding train before it jumps completely off the track. If she truly was uncomfortable at the photo shoot she can become a spokesperson and share with young girls the importance of self-esteem and how to use your voice when you are asked to do anything, even by your parents, that makes you uncomfortable about yourself, your body and the message you are sending out into the world. And if the pictures she took of herself were her expressing normal teen curiosity about her body and never meant to be shared, she can attest to the dangers of taking such pictures and posting inappropriate content online or in text messages. Bottom line: She, and her parents, have to cop to the mistakes, be honest and grow in a more positive direction in order to stop the train from derailing." Michelle Renee
I couldn't agree more!
Photo courtesy of Annie Leibovitz
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