entertainment
In Defense of Miley
I know people are already getting sick of the uproar over the “Hannah Montana is nekkid!” stories and posts. On one level, I’m one of them. It infuriates me to see various TV and news outlets writing their stories proclaiming outrage and horror but then showing the picture for at least 15 seconds. If it’s so horrible or outrageous, why are you showing it in the midday news? Do you think parents were shielding their kids’ eyes when it popped up?
C’mon people, all you see is her back. In the outtake photos, she’s wearing clothes underneath. And does anyone else remember those graduation photos where girls wear drapes? It’s really the same thing as this, just a side view.
I have no inside scoop on this, but my assumption is that Miley took all those candid photos that leaked last week with the ex-boyfriend and showing the bra because she was in serious like with this guy and possibly gave them to him as a momento. Not great stuff, but it’s a typical teenager thing.
And now you’re saying “Well, it looks like she’s just got out of bed after (insert dirty hypothetical activity.) Sorry to tell you this, but this is your dirty mind at work. The Vanity Fair photo is an artsy shot not unlike something you’d see at a portrait exhibit, not her spread eagled on a bed wearing next to nothing (i.e. Britney’s RS cover when she was 17.) Even the candids do no more than show her bra and stomach. The purpose of art and photography is to make you think and interpret, and a lot of us (myself included) can find something dirty to see out of the simple act of eating a sandwich. But that’s not her fault. She might not have a dirty mind yet, so don’t blame her for yours.
Which leads to my list of things that we as adults should remember before we forbid our kids to watch “Hannah Montana” anymore and destroy her CDs (and this is mostly in reference to the personal photos that leak, since I’ve already established the VF spread contoversy is BS):
1) Teenagers are sexual: Yes, they are, and that’s normal. Don’t believe me? Have some of your friends come over, drink a few beers and then bring up the subject of their proms. Chances are that most of the stories will involve a bed or a backseat somewhere. After a few more, start the “losing my virginity” stories and also find out how far your buddies got in the years before they actually did the deed. Unless you hang out with members of Catholic religious orders, you’re not going to get a lot of “I saved everything but closed-mouth kissing until my wedding night” tales. Lots of dorm room beds will probably be involved.
Is it great for young kids to have sex? It’s not perfect. But if you stick your head in the sand, forbid kids from seeing anything that might give them any ideas and do the whole “purity only” thing, you’re only ensuring that they won’t feel comfortable in coming to you if and when they’re dealing with the issue themselves. And they’re going to get ideas whether you like it or not. Would you rather face the facts now, or in a much more painful way later?
2) Young (and old) people also make bad choices, especially where the heart’s concerned: This is something we all know from experience, but it hasn’t stopped folks from throwing stones. How many times have we done something with or for an ex to make them happy ourselves and seen that backfire in a big way? If the videos on XTube are any indication, a LOT. We’re just lucky enough not to be multimillionaire music stars when we do them.
How many times have we, as adults, thought back and wished that we hadn’t done certain things of our own? Our impulse is to make sure that our own kids never follow in our footsteps. But no matter now much we yell “Make good choices!” at them as they walk out the door to school, it’s a lesson they’ve gotta learn for themselves. So if anything, Miley can be an example of someone who has learned the hard way that you can’t always trust people that you care for. Because somewhere along the line, someone she trusted leaked the photos.
3. Don’t assume that Miley is going to become another Britney: This is a big one, because yes, Britney did say and do many things comparable to Miley when she was 17. She also professed to be a virgin (and lied through her teeth while doing it) and that she was churchgoing and moral when the truth was a little more dubious.
But one reason we’ve all been enthralled by Britney’s breakdown because it’s an anomoly, not the norm. Plus Miley is 15 and her hangouts, look, etc. seem to be mostly stuff suited for her age. And her parents are fairly strict. (Britney, by most accounts, pretty much raised herself) As much as some of the celebrity press want to see her become a mini-Amy Winehouse, no matter how much she wants, she’s not going to be able to get into Villa for a few more years.
By the time she’s old enough to really get into trouble, she’ll might be less famous and have fewer cameras waiting to snap a shot of her drinking a beer. Or she maybe she’ll have learned the lessons of #2 and just live her life on her terms and with no apologies. She’s probably learned what not to do from Britney and Lindsay Lohan.
If she’s smart, she’ll focus on being herself in her work and devote her time to that. Britney’s problem is that she never got that chance and lost herself along the way, so when she rebelled she had no “herself” to work with. That’s the threat of early fame. But there are others like Jodie Foster who were also young adults but managed to preserve an identity and turned out fine. And in rare cases (like Drew Barrymore) you can even screw up big time as a teen and still be a great adult.
I’m not saying Miley and the people attached to her are completely innocent or blameless. I’ve said more than once on Twitter that I can’t understand why they make such a big production out of keeping her stomach covered at all costs when she wears jeans at least two sizes too small. As driven as she is, it would be good to see her stick to her Disney role for awhile and not try for the huge solo career yet. And my personal opinion on the Vanity Fair photos is that she just doesn’t look comfortable.
Miley acts like she’s 21 and hangs out with older folks, but she is young and she should keep acting young and having a good time. I can’t stand to watch the “Miley and Mandy Show” most of the time, but I like it because it shows Miley is still a goofy kid. That’s the Miley who plays Hannah Montana, and that’s the role model. I think the best thing she could do — for herself and her fans — is just be herself.
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