The name “Miley Cyrus” no longer evokes thoughts of a pseudo-blonde pop star in a sitcom. Instead, said name is now fraught with controversy, scandal, and the title of “Child Star Gone Wrong.” True, her recent antics may just be her method of defining herself as an individual artist, but what are the limitations?
It can be agreed that most of her radical actions are meant to shock as many people as possible, starting with the bleached, half-shaved pixie haircut she debuted early this year. It clashed with the sweet country singer persona she had developed over the years and garnered a large amount of media attention, almost all of which harshly criticized her haircut and her taste.
In the months following, the paparazzi, media, and blogs did not waver in their focus on Cyrus, from her questionable fashion choices to her failed year-long engagement to Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, who proposed last year to her when she was 19 years old.
The build-up of media frenzy culminated at the 2013 VMA Awards, where Cyrus performed her single “We Can’t Stop” onstage with singer Robin Thicke—the music video, which was released a few months prior, featured a bizarre excess of ‘twerking,’ and tongue-wagging. However, the media truly exploded at her live performance, deemed by many as far too inappropriate for public television, which isn’t a far stretch, considering her barely-there clothing, raunchy “dancing,” and censored references to the drug Ecstasy. People tweeted about the performance 360,000 times per minute—a new record for Twitter. Many of these tweeters were fellow celebrities expressing their disapproval and disgust.
On the other hand, there’s no denying that all of the publicity is doing wonders for Cyrus’ music career. Her album, Bangerz, dropped October 4th and broke Billboard records. The music videos for her singles “We Can’t Stop” and the similarly provocative “Wrecking Ball” also smashed VEVO records with views currently already numbering over 251,000,000 and 250,000,000, respectively.
Yes, Cyrus can be seen as media-savvy and clever, but what are the other effects of her antics? There seems to be no line that Cyrus will not cross in order to make a statement and establish herself as a “fresh” new artist. As Bhavik Shah ‘17 eloquently asserts, “Miley Cyrus provides a negative image as she is the personification of popularity yet portrays herself in a manner that is devoid of ethical principles.”
With success, popularity, and a celebrity status comes a heavier need to be conscious of responsibilities and decisions, not only for the sake of self-respect, but for those who will be influenced by those actions. Likewise, Cyrus is setting a bad example for those who look up to her, as expressed by Julia Nelson ‘14: “It’s a shame that she turned out the way she did because she was a role model for younger girls.”
Although her stunts are causing a spike in her popularity as a celebrity and an artist, these effects are short-term. How they affect young girls who idolize her, on the other hand, is not. The question that must be asked is: Is the net effect of Cyrus’ actions more beneficiary towards pop culture or more harmful towards influencing adolescent mindsets?