PRO
First, let me start off by saying that I am by no means one of those crazy, obsessed fans urging to “leave Miley alone!”
In fact, although I occasionally enjoy her insipid lyrics and catchy music, the sight of her “twerking” and her barely-there outfits makes me roll my eyes. However, contrary to popular belief, Miley Cyrus is actually smarter than the public thinks.
In case you have been living under a rock, here’s the deal: Miley Cyrus is a singer/actress who went from sweet-looking Disney channel star to party girl who likes to dance suggestively, fondle foam fingers, and recently dropped jaws after appearing nude in her latest music video.
Truth of the matter is, Cyrus has everybody exactly where she wants them: talking about her. I am sure she was aware of the controversy her drastic change of character and recent performances would raise, and I am sure that that is exactly what she was going for. And the public is weak.
Now, I truly do not understand why people are so shocked by her “Wrecking Ball” music video. Cyrus is just another singer who joined the extensive list of celebrities appearing au naturel on the media.
Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Pink are all singers who have appeared nude on their respective music videos, so Miley’s music video should not shock our society. Also, her newfound persona just mirrors the young female population of today.
The audience is quick to judge her skimpy outfits, when in reality, these outfits are everywhere in our society. In fact, all aspects of Miley’s new behavior are things that we can see every day, without having the need to even leave the house.
Take social media, for example. Think about how many girls on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have posted suggestive photos of themselves wearing revealing clothing? How many girls have posted videos of themselves or friends “twerking” and doing other suggestive dance moves? Too many to count.
This type of behavior from young females that is exposed to the world every day is the same type of behavior that Cyrus is exhibiting. Some of these girls are actually younger than Miley Cyrus. How are they different? Here is the answer: they are not.
Cyrus is only doing what a lot of the girls of this generation are doing. At the end of the day, Miley Cyrus is an entertainer. Entertainers seek attention, and attention of that kind is achieved by doing something controversial. The result is a shocked audience, songs on the music charts, and a pop star laughing all the way to the bank.
CON
Call me crazy, but I liked Miley Cyrus much better when she was on Disney Channel.
I know many people argue that she’s growing up and acting out in order to show that she isn’t Hannah Montana anymore. However, I beg to differ.
Taking a role in a movie like “The Last Song” showed that she had grown up. “The Last Song” cast Miley with a grown role, including a romance with Liam Hemsworth, which actually led to a relationship outside of the film.
Now, the engagement has even been called off, which might actually be a career-saving move for Hemsworth, whose image would inevitably be smeared by Miley’s behavior.
In an article written for Rolling Stone, Miley spoke about her VMA performance with Robin Thicke. She said that she was aware that she doesn’t have the body to be “twerking,” she realized that her hair did not look cute in pig tails, and she knew her performance in the VMAs was outrageous. She claimed that was the point.
There are many artists that make a point of being outrageous during the VMAs. However, there is a fine line between outrageous and downright vulgar. Not only was she dressed disgustingly inappropriate, but it wasn’t even flattering for her. If it was intended to be sexy, she missed the mark by a long shot.
People think it was the “twerking” or the practically X-rated acts with a foam finger that made her VMA performance such a controversy, but what some people fail to mention is Thicke is married, has a 3-year-old son, and is 36 years old. I believe that pretty much takes the proverbial cake.
If Miley’s reasoning for acting the way she did at the VMAs was specifically to have an outrageous performance, then I don’t see why she should feel the need to get naked in her music videos.
Miley supporters boasted that her video for “Wrecking Ball” had a record-breaking number of views within the first day. I don’t doubt that. Millions of people went straight to YouTube to find out for themselves if she really frenched a sledgehammer.
In her new album “BangerZ,” Miley actually raps. So apparently, she became “homies,” as she called it, with Kanye and Lil’ Kim and she is all of the sudden a rapper.
In the article in Rolling Stone, Miley commented on the fact that it was brought to her attention that people are saying that she is “trying to be black.” Well, if she is so worried about that being the impression she is giving off, then she should stop acting in a way that can be conceived as such.
I used to be a huge fan of Miley, and I even still have her listed as a “like” on Facebook. However, Miley’s recent music, behavior, and videos have seemed more like a cry for attention than any form of art or entertainment.