I encourage my girls to model after this girl, Amanda Bynes
So far, she's been squeaky clean.
Posted on 04/30/2008 4:13:14 AM PDT by fweingart
What is the leading breeding ground for tomorrow's role models of degradation and promiscuity? The Disney Channel. On Monday, news broke that Vanity Fair was planning on running "discreet" and "artistic" photos from a topless shoot with pre-teen and tween hero Miley Cyrus. The photos include a shot of Cyrus, barebacked, clutching a sheet to her bosom -- a shot no less pedophilic than the infamous Brooke Shields jeans ads of 1980.
Miley Cyrus is the most popular act in the country. Her 3-D concert film from her tour, "Best of Both Worlds," took in an astounding $31.3 million in its opening weekend. Her show, "Hannah Montana," is a megahit. In 2007, Cyrus reportedly earned $18.5 million.
Cyrus' fan base is largely young girls, who sell out her concerts, buy her clothing line, and sit rapt before their televisions. Now, they're being taught by a teen superstar, her father, and a willing media, that inappropriate behavior is no barrier to happiness or satisfaction.
As I wrote in my second book, "Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future," Cyrus is hardly the first pop tart to make the transition from clean-cut role model to promiscuous party girl. And the vast majority of such characters spring from the geniuses at Disney Channel. Britney "Disaster Area" Spears was a Mickey Mouse Club girl before she morphed into the paradigm of personal pandemonium. So was Spears' former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, the man who would later be responsible for the term "wardrobe malfunction." So was Christina "Xtina" Aguilera, who sang the theme song for "Mulan" before deciding to get "Dirrty." Lindsay Lohan was wholesome twins Hallie and Annie in "The Parent Trap" before she decided to reveal her twins in the name of art. Hilary Duff was the star of "Lizzie McGuire" before, at age 16, she began dating rocker Joel Madden, age 24; she shortly thereafter denied that she had claimed that she was a virgin, stating, "Whose business is that?"
These are clearly young women without a moral foundation -- and without responsible parents. The creepiest photo from the Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair shoot wasn't her bed sheet pose -- it was a shot of her, midriff bare, leaning lazily back on her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy Ray sure ain't Ward Cleaver.
These pop tarts would also seem to be without direction, celebrities-too-young overwhelmed by the glamour and fame of stardom. In reality, however, promiscuous behavior and provocative poses are calculated career moves for teen stars seeking to break into out of the 10-16 age group and into the mainstream entertainment business.
When Aguilera decided to pose for the cover of her album "Stripped," wearing nothing from the waist up, she explained, "I guess I've grown up in a lot of ways." When Spears posed for Rolling Stone in her nighties at age 17, she stated, "it was Rolling Stone and it has an adult audience. The photographer explained to me what he wanted to do and I was cool about it." When Lindsay Lohan turned 18, she, too, posed for the cover of Rolling Stone. The headline read: "Hot, Ready and Legal!" Rolling Stone observed, "There comes a time in the life of every teenage girl who works for the Disney Corp. when that girl realizes she has suddenly -- how shall we phrase this? -- 'broadened her appeal.'"
Miley Cyrus, then, is following a long line of similarly minded Disney stars in her salacious strategy. Not surprisingly, Vanity Fair observed of her photo shoot that "though the pose was Annie Leibovitz's idea, the topless but demure portrait accompanying this article could be seen as another baby step, as it were, toward a more mature profile."
Here's the big question: does Miley Cyrus really need to descend to the gutter to raise her profile? She's immensely successful, and she can remain immensely successful by continuing to appeal to younger audiences.
Yet, in all likelihood, she will follow the path paved by the Spears/Aguilera/Lohan/Duff brigade. She will do so because Hollywood and the mainstream media propagate the idea that R-rated material sells better than G-rated material, and that mature entertainment must involve sex. To be taken seriously as artists, Disney Channel queens must become Independent Film Channel queens -- or at the very least, Rolling Stone icons.
In the end, no matter how "legitimate" an artist Miley Cyrus becomes, she will never be able to regain her innocence. Neither will the legions of young girls who admiringly follow her example.
But when the time comes for an accounting of what one does with their life a rude awakening will no doubt occur.
The only surprising part of this is that anyone is surprised.
The tyke was hooked from that point on.
The Disney Channel is a web in which are trapped millions of youngsters and is a good reason to trash the boob tube!
I can't beleive the first thought in their head would not be "This is a 15 year old girl! HELL NO you can't that picture!"
Oh for the days when Annette Funichello was the Disney role model.
Meanwhile, maybe we better buy all the Vanity Fair mags on the market! They might be as valuable as the Traci Lords Penthouse mags! 5-10 years also!
I encourage my girls to model after this girl, Amanda Bynes
So far, she's been squeaky clean.
I was more into Gidget!
Let’s not be prudish here. I saw the photo in question; while the image is intended to be erotic, there is nothing distasteful or obscene about it. The young lady in it is showing less skin than she would in a bathing suit.
Anyway, the sexualization of kids by the House of Mouse is nothing new. Since the days of Annette Funicello and Hayley Mills, Disney has made plenty of money of selling jailbait images to adult men disguised as entertainment for children. Why get upset about it now?
I detect a whiff of hypocrisy in the furor over Miley Cyrus. It’s a fact that a lot of men are secretly attracted to girls her age; otherwise, there would be no market for images such as this. The fact that this is a news story at all indicates to me that a great many men are secretly fascinated by the idea of erotic images of teenage girls, but feel guilty about it. Those in the public who are outraged over this photo shoot should perhaps choose instead to reflect upon their own interest in the topic.
As for me, I have no interest in Miley Cyrus, clothed or not. She’s just a kid as far as I am concerned. What I am interested in is the media furor that surrounds celebrities in our society. The fact that this story is front page news is troubling. Why so much attention to this seemingly unimportant incident?
Annie Leibovitz should be arrested for child pornography and Miley’s parents should be arrested as well for child endagerment.
short term capitalism is all this.
I agree that our society is way too promiscuous and that kids are unfortunately having sex thrown at them everywhere. I also agree that the picture she took with her dad was disturbing because it appeared to try and sexualize that relationship. However, I don’t understand the uproar over the supposedly nude photograph. I have seen the photograph and it didn’t really strike me as sensual or even sexual. If anything it reminded me of the picture on the cover of the CD set for the broadway play Les Miserables - where the little girl is shown attired in rags. In other words, She looks like a scared little girl who is inadquately clothed rather than someone who is trying to pose in a sexually provocative manner. So, I think people should take her apology at face value and move on.
Really. People are acting like she shot a porn video. The only people who I would’ve thought would be offended by the picture are the ragheads.
It's being used for commercial purposes. Disney was all for it until the furor arose. Cyrus is being used to make money.
You say it no news but it is. In the day and age where we are supposed to be aware of the underlying impetus behind this type of thing it still happens.
This isn't her first foray into titillation. She has posted images of herself revealing her bra and in seductive poses. It shows where she is heading.
The part I don't get is that her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, a country singer, is not stopping this. Country singers are supposed to be more conservative and more family oriented. I have yet to see anything from him at all about this.
Good post. I agree with the main points you made.
I understand where the author of this article is coming from, but his choice of a title for the piece ("Hannah Montana Does Playboy") is pretty tasteless itself and might be worthy of a lawsuit. That is, unless I missed something and she actually is going to pose for Playboy.
Annie Liebovitz should be under arrest. As part of the New York area degeneratti she thinks that filth is beautiful.
Do you not see the contradiction in your statement?
I had heard a radio discussion that said that Disney contracts drawn for these girls are very restrictive & hard to get out of. It was suggested that Miley Cyrus is following a sort of pattern for ‘breaking’ the contract — by engaging in outside activities that would embarrass Disney. If this is the case then Disney has no direct hand in the corruption of the icons they helped create. It would be interesting to know if Disney arranged the Cyrus photoshoot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.