Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Does Miley know best?

I thought the hoopla over Vanity Fair pictures of Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) would die quickly, but it hasn't.

For those that maybe haven’t heard, there's an article about the 15-year-old with pictures where she appears to pose naked with just a sheet draped around her (but in fact she’s not entirely naked which you can see in this behind the scenes slideshow) in the magazine's June issue.

I’m not saying it’s not a big deal…it is. I guess my problem is who some think is at fault. Disney reportedly issued a statement accusing Vanity Fair and photographer Annie Leibovitz (known for her kind of racy photos) of taking advantage of a 15-year-old.

Really? Did they? Or did they pitch an idea to this girl and her parents and handlers, all of which were on the set and are OK with the photos?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…it starts at home. Yes, young Miley has a very different childhood than others, but does that make her parents any less responsible for her actions?

Also, when are these Disney and Nickelodeon kids going to learn that the clean-cut image they portray for their day jobs has to continue into every waking moment of their lives? I mean it’s what they get paid the big bucks for, right? (And I mean big. Portfolio estimates Cyrus will be worth $1 billion in the next three years.)

But I guess both sides could be argued.

While I take issue with Cyrus’ parents, I'm not sure other parents should let their kids become so dependent on a fictional character or celebrity that one slip-up from that celeb could affect a child and their behavior. I don’t know if Cyrus should have had to apologize to other kids, and their parents, for doing something that she wanted to do.

I'm not sure yet which side I agree with the most, but what do ya’ll think? Were all the discussions and finger-pointing necessary? And do you think the pictures are that bad?
And just because I'm curious...which picture would you think catch people's attention? The one of Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus that looks more like man and woman than father and child...



...or the one that's causing the stir?



photos from VanityFair.com

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

...this girl and her parents and handlers, all of WHOM were on the set...

Samtastic said...

To tell you the truth I don't think it is the pictures that are the cause of all the fuss. She has had a pretty decent rep so far in her short career. People are waiting for her to make a mistake. I have seen the pictures and I do not think they are all that racy. As for the one with her dad, Miley is crazy about her dad as are all young girls (including myself) that have a healthy relationship with their fathers. As for the other picture, it is not sexy at all, and she is not trying to look sexy (her face has a Mona Lisa quality to it). The only way this picture could be sexy is if you liked little girls. Give me a break people and give her a break.

Unknown said...

What if it was a boy star posed topless? It would be no big deal because we're sexiest like that.

On an unrelated but maybe related just a little -- heard a story on NPR this morning that a woman's fertility peaks at age 23. Miley is less than a decade away from her eggs starting to fade...

How to tie all these thoughts together? We're all made up of flesh and goose bumps (like those on Miley's arm or is that that funky chicken skin some people have?) and body hair, among other gloriously crusty flaky smelly embarrassing parts. Viva la body no matter how young and firm or old and saggy it is!

Donecia Pea said...

Aw dang Kathryn... I'm still hung up on the "a woman's fertility peaks at age 23." Wow! I didn't know that...I missed my peak long time ago and didn't even realize it, lol.

Adam Kealoha Causey said...

I think Miley/Hannah/whoever-she-is looks pretty goofy in the supposedly sexy picture. Kind of like she was playing with a grown woman's lipstick. But Vanity Fair is meant to raise eyebrows, right? Remember the cover with Cindy Crawford and kd lang in a barber’s chair?

Feeding off Kathryn's comment, check the link about another teen star's Leibovitz photo shoot. It was David Cassidy. (I know, who? Most of us weren't alive then.)But apparently he caught a little flak, too, because he really was naked. Seems like her work is an easy topic for controversy.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/1000thphotographers/2/david_cassidy

Anonymous said...

I like miley but she looks like she was just rapped in the second Photo


she is also looking like she is a slut and that is the truth....

from 2 people that used to like hannie montannie