I have to say – me being a little too old and even less hip – I cannot wrap my head around the Miley Cyrus phenomenon. She’s a singer, right?
In all sincerity, what is it with her popularity? Moreover, what has set her apart from any other tween sensation?
Maybe she lucked out in the gene pool and got some of her famous father’s talent? Or maybe the big bad corporate wolf, Disney, saw her for the cash cow she is? I believe she is somewhere in the middle, with her mediocre cuteness and talent being primed and pruned into what she is now.
Her recent Vanity Fair photo shoot, though, has left 15-year-old Cyrus in purgatory between teen and role model, which makes me wonder if I overlooked her pluckiness.
In the photo, Cyrus is wrapped in what appears to be a bed sheet showing her bare back. While the photo has been demonized for sexualizing Cyrus, I find it anything but sexy. From an artistic standpoint, the satin-gold sheet and gray background reminds me all too much of my elementary school photos. Her exposed back and facial expression appear like a child trying to look mature, not sexy. This is Vanity Fair, not Seventeen.
The photographs, taken by the amazing Annie Leibovitz, have been discussed and commented on by everyone from angry parents to the gems on “The View.” Many parents lamented over Cyrus’ shameful fall as the last great role model for their daughters.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Just check her into rehab and she should be fine.
I’m not sure I sympathize with these outraged parents. They may feel duped by many teen role models and have become gun shy from the trauma of a post-Britney world, but why was she such a role model in the first place?
Cyrus is not a role model. She is a teenager with wealthy parents and connections. Although she is already writing her memoir, I wager she has gained little wisdom from her atypical life as a celebrity’s daughter. Whoever’s attempt it was to keep her appearance demure with semi-conservative outfits has made her worthy of emulation, up to this point.
The Disney Channel has now issued its own statement, implying there was deliberate manipulation by Vanity Fair to sell magazines. I can only guess they weren’t too pleased to read Cyrus paralleling similarities between the TV shows “Hannah Montana” and “Sex and the City.” The photos and interview affect their pockets too.
Cyrus issued her own apology saying she felt embarrassed by the photos, which many speculate was less than sincere and the entire scandal was publicity-driven.
Maybe the photos will be beneficial. Cyrus can start taking back her own image and, if Disney fires her, she can retire.
While my research for this story has taught me more than I’d ever like to know about Cyrus, I still do not understand her appeal.
Erin McKenzie is a junior journalism major and an assistant opinions editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
