Is it me or is tween poster girl Miley Cyrus suddenly acting more like Madonna and less like Hannah Montana? I mean, have you seen her latest music video, "Can't Be Tamed?" Looks like the Hollywood machine has churned out yet another Britney clone, complete with the faux-orgies, hip-gyrating/pelvic thrusting choreography, glossy porno-lips, over-done smoked Kohl eyeliner, and of course-- plenty of post-pubescent cleavage. God help us.
Call me a bore, call me square, you can even call me a prude: but I am absolutely OVER it. Can we please stop sexualizing our young girls? Why is it OK for teenage girls to traipse around half-naked on our TVs and the Internet? For that matter, please tell me why are the following things OK:
1) Infant girls in bikinis (am I the only person who thinks this is wrong?)
2) Toddler girls in low-slung, hip-hugger jeans (yes, they actually make these!)
3) Grade school girls baring midriff or wearing those ridiculous ass-baring short shorts (NO ONE should wear ass-baring short shorts in public)
Yeah yeah, I get the whole wanting-to-grow-up-fast thing. Miley wants to shed her squeaky-clean Disney Channel persona for a vampy, grown-up version of herself (it's probably why the first single off her upcoming album is called "Can't Be Tamed"). She wants to exert her independence. She's announcing to the world that she's confident and beautiful and fabulous and sexy and powerful. But it makes me wonder: why do female entertainers (especially the teenage ones) think objectifying themselves is the only way to portray that confidence/beauty/fabulousness/sexiness/power? What about smarts? What about charm? What about wit. Hell, what about a little modesty?
Perhaps Madonna--the Queen Bee of sex-in-your-face music videos--started it all. However, I'd like to point out the fact that she didn't break out into the music scene until she was in her early 20s (she was 23 when her self-titled album debuted). Twenty-three is an adult-- and in Madonna's case, by the time she was in the spotlight, she was a woman who had experienced a childhood and evolved into an independent, decision-making grown-up. Maybe that's why she never had a public meltdown, came out with a sex tape or ended up in rehab.
Miley Cyrus, on the other hand, is 17. She's still a kid in my book, and watching her rub up against a group of horny boys while singing lyrics like "I go through guys like money flyin' out their hands," is kinda wrong. With over 7.6 million views on YouTube (and her album doesn't even drop until June 22), she certainly knows sex sells.
That's what's so disturbing.
Watch the video and let me know what you think.
