A few years back, following the whole Vanity Fair hoopla, I read an article on the Parents' Movie Guide on Msn.com titled "Is Miley Cyrus the Next Britney Spears?" It was interesting, not because it was all that well argued but because it began, in my mind, the beginning to a fulfillment of a prophecy presented at the end of the South Park episode "Britney's New Look." The episode dealt with the boys coming to understand that modern sacrifices are needed to ensure a good corn harvest, but that rather than stoning said sacrifices they must have them commit suicide. She is eventually photographed to death. At the end of the episode, a new sacrifice is chosen, being none other than Miley Cyrus.
I just never understood what the deal was with trying to tear Cyrus down. I mean, really, what has she done? Vanity Fair?
Cyrus was fifteen when she took part in this Annie Leibovitz shoot. And, no - I'm not going to say that she's fifteen and not a little kid. Fifteen is still very much a "little kid"-age. But, I don't find anything particularly wrong with the photo above. It's supposedly artistic. Not to me. Sexual? I guess. But, I don't find any picture of a little kid sexy. A little weird? Yeah - I'll go with that one. I've never been a fan of Leibovitz. I look at that "classic" John Lennon/Yoko Ono Rolling Stone cover and I think it's just weird. Nothing more. Nothing less. I kind of see it and move on.
So, the whole Vanity Fair controversy was lost on me. I just didn't care. So what if Cyrus was only fifteen? It's not like she actually was nude. It's not like it was a spread in Maxim. But, people were already waiting for something to take Miley down a few notches. I mean, how dare she become so famous. It's not like she very talented. Talent, of course, being like most other things: all in the eye of the beholder.
Then, again, this came after some photos of her had been released. Private pictures that I won't reveal here. These were taken from her cell phone. I'm sorry, I mean hacked. She didn't release these pictures. They were never supposed to be seen by her fans. But, no - anything for a headline. Right? Let's post pictures of a fifteen year old and call her names. Then, let's decry her professional photoshoot. After all, it serves the same means. Miley is torn down a bit.
And, while we're at it, since when is it okay for adults to take pictures of a sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen year old in a bikini? Because that's what's been happening for some time now. There are so many pictures of Cyrus in a bikini online that it's a bit ridiculous. But, you don't read or hear much about how ridiculous such a practice is. Read any comment from a site posting these pictures and you'll see people putting Cyrus down. Really people? What the hell is she doing wrong here? She's at the beach. And, at the beach, she has on a bikini. Big deal. Focus on the grown men taking these pictures. That's what's wrong.
Of course, now there's a new kind of controversey:
How dare she! How dare she smoke the perfectly legal salvia! How dare she smoke it on her eighteenth birthday! How dare she do it in public where everyone can see!
Wait. That's not what happened? No - that's pretty much what happened. Except she didn't smoke up in public. The video that was released, again, came from a cell phone. Although it wasn't hacked. It was released. Hope that individual got some good money out of it. Though, I still don't get what the big deal is. She wasn't in some club getting high. She's also smoking something legal. She's also an adult now. But, she still has yet to be sacrificed. So, I doubt she'll be left alone anytime soon.
And the thing is, if something does happen in the future, people will point and say, "See! See - we told you she was trouble! We told you she was a bad role model!" Oh yeah. She's terrible.
Because she was sixteen when she got pregnant.
Because she's been arrested multiple times for DUI.
Because she's exactly like Britney Spears.
Right?
Cyrus is not perfect. And, that's not an excuse. I never did any of the things she's done. But, others have done worse. A lot worse. But, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the tabloids get her on something that destroys her career. Because what's more fun than destroying someone? I mean, it's her actions. All the tabloids do is report on what she does. They have a job to do, and they're doing it.
Yep. They sure are.
But, did you know Cyrus does other things with her spare time? You know, when she's not wearing revealing clothing or having fun on her birthday?
Check out Get Ur Good On. It's charity in which Cyrus is extremely involved.
She even has time to visit children's hospitals.
But, I'm sure she does stuff like this for publicity. Because that's what headlines concerning her are all about, right?
Miley Cyrus has done nothing that warrants mobs and pitchforks. If you don't like her music, or her acting, or her style, or her voice, or anything else about her, then do what I do when I don't like something. Don't. Pay. Attention. Really - it's that's simple. Let her do her thing. And, you do your thing.
In the end, though, if she does ever do something actually bad, I'll be reminded of another young girl who went down some dark paths but emerged as a major force in the entertainment industry. Not sure who I'm talking about. Click here. See you next time.
Or, as Cyrus would sing, "I can't wait/To see you again." Wow - that was lame.
