No thread on the Miley Cyrus pictures? Really?

[purpleeyes]

Any thoughts? :innocent:

I am torn, I think the pics are inappropriate b/c they appear to be grooming her for a more adult world, adult roles, etc.
However, I think about 15 year olds that I know and they dress, act QUITE sexy, it seems like a normal world to them. . .
HOWEVER, is that b/c of the media? Are they in reality comfortable with a sexy role? How to we prepared them to deal with adult emotions/issues yet still preserve some childhood/adolescence?

I really like what this blog has to say about it: http://girlmediamaven.blogspot.com/

ETA: Spelling and smilies!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Bed is calling me so I'll read the blog tomorrow. But, I wanted to reply based on the 1 [icture I saw.

I really wish that the photographer, Annie L. (going to butcher the spelling so I'll leave it at that) really should have known her subject better and known that she is just 15. There is no reason to further rush the actress- and her fans- into adulthood any faster than they are already heading there. Isn't Hannah Montana supposed to be pretty G rated? I know that the actress and role are 2 dif't things but I still think that should have been thought about.

I think that that sexy pic is too much. Do we really want/ need another Lindsay Lohan?

Beth

[dr mom]

Vanity Fair posted photos from the shoot, showing that both her parents were present throughout...so I guess they approved what was done.

Career-wise, yeah, maybe it was the thing to do - obviously it's generated a lot of publicity. "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

As a parent, though, you have to wonder if the choices they've made won't haunt them. Are they pushing their daughter to grow up too fast? Encouraging her to adopt adult sexuality before she is emotionally mature enough to handle it?

I thought the photo was artistic, but it was startling to see a young girl styled with makeup and props that suggested a post-coital situation.

[kransden]

I think most of the pictures were creepy, and I am a fan of Annie Leibovitz's work. What I find much more upsetting are the other skanky pictures of her on the internet with the boyfrined etc. They just showed up too. Did the girl suddenly get a surge of hormones? While many other girls are doing that or much worse, they are not getting paid millions of dollars to be a good role model. Did you ever find pictures of Hillary Duff or Anne Hathaway like that? So Miss Cyrus is not getting any of our money. It shows bad judgment on her part and bad judgment on her parents' part too. It makes you wonder if she has been hanging out with the Spears sisters kwim?

[ShanaMama]

I've been hearing about these pics but now I had to go see them. I actually found the one with her father most disturbing. Didn't realize he was her father till I read the caption- looked like a much older boyfriend from the compromising position IMO.

[Emmas Mom]

I've been hearing about these pics but now I had to go see them. I actually found the one with her father most disturbing. Didn't realize he was her father till I read the caption- looked like a much older boyfriend from the compromising position IMO.

Where did you find the pictures? I've heard a little but actually am curious. DD#1 is still a little young for Hanna "Momtana" (as she calls her) but she knows who she is. It is disturbing to have such roll models though. :(

[tiapam]

I think the pics are sad and wrong. I don't understand why VF wanted to use her as a subject nor why she and her "handlers" agreed to it. Isn't Tiger Beat still around?

[StantonHyde]

That's my question--what is she doing in Vanity Fair? I usuallly LOVE Annie L's work. It is amazing. And is usually so evocative of her subjects. This just seems like a cliched shot to me. If her parents didn't want those photos published--why did they let her take her shirt off?

[Tondi G]

Honestly... I think it was a photo shoot for Vanity Fair and most little girls who idolize her are not going to be reading vanity fair (unless their moms subscribe to the magazine)! I think they are beautiful artistic photos.... but that is what Annie Leibovitz is known for!

It's not like the girl was posing for playboy. So she had her shirt off and something draped across her front..... I've seen plenty of red carpet shots of girls/women with dresses that have low draping backs.

Personally I think once again it's the media finding fault with someone who they couldn't previously!!!!

[megs4413]

honest opinion? I think it amounts to child porn and charges should be filed. it's disgusting, IMO.

[punkrockmama]

I honestly don't think the pix are *that* horrible. But I do, in the words of one of my favorite bloggers, hate the fact that young girls today are dressing/looking like 40 year old ex-strippers from Reno.

What's up with all the Disney girls? Britney, Christinia, Lindsey....It's like being sugary sweet was forced upon them and the only way they could assert any independence was to whore it up. Who taught them, who made them, feel like that. Every interview you see, when they're asked about their "sexy" image they always say it's just them growing up. Well, I love sexiness and sexuality and am no prude but I don't think flashing your nooks & crannies = being a strong adult.

Everyone's in such a hurry to grow up. I'm under 30 and when I see middle school girls I'm so shocked. They are taller, leaner, more mature looking than ever. When I was 12 I LOOKED twelve, kwim? It's not just girls it's everyone. Babies need to sleep thru the night when they're hours old, toddlers should be doing their own taxes, etc...Everybody is trying to rush everything.

Layla's not even two but I want her (and Peyton) to just be kids for as long as they can. Childhood's getting shorter and shorter. It's also really important to me to teach Layla that her power and worth is way more than what she looks like on the outside. That should be obvious, huh?

[Pennylane]

I also really love Annie Leibovitz's pictures. That being said, I think it is sad and disturbing that her parents agreed to and were a part of these pictures. It was just creepy to see her and her father posed that way because she does not look like his sweet 15 year old daughter but a 21 yr old girl that he could be dating.

Ann

[ILoveLucy]

I think the pictures are creepy and sleazy, but I also think Annie Leibowitz has become a complete hack who only goes for the quick shock value, so I'm not surprised. I agree that a 15-year-old should enjoy being 15, not posing for Vanity Fair in smeared red lipstick and bedhead. It has, however, gotten Miley tons of publicity, so I'm sure daddy and the other people in her circle are quite pleased. I'd think they could at least wait until she was 17 or so to prove to us how "adult" she is.

[ShanaMama]

Where did you find the pictures? I've heard a little but actually am curious. DD#1 is still a little young for Hanna "Momtana" (as she calls her) but she knows who she is. It is disturbing to have such roll models though. :(

I actually googled Miley Cyrus pics but found them on the VF website. You need to search the website a bit to actually see the pics- they don't come up with the first article. There are some other racy pics of her with various guys and sexy poses circulating the internet but the one that caused all the controversy was the Annie L one in VF.

[ShanaMama]

It's also really important to me to teach Layla that her power and worth is way more than what she looks like on the outside. That should be obvious, huh?

:yeahthat: If only it was obvious! Unfortunately you will be fighting all the messages she receives from the media & society at large.

[LarsMal]

DH keeps calling Miley Cyrus the next "Britney Lohan". When her latest photos (the ones that came out before the magazine photos) and then the Annie L. photos came out he said, "SEE! I told you!!"

IMO, I think Billy Ray needs to stop exploiting his daughter! He needs to start being a father and stop trying to be her best friend (like he says he wants to be). I saw a clip of the photo shoot on the Vanity Fair website and the ones with her and Billy Ray are really creepy. I would NEVER have posed like that with my father!

I feel like Britney and Christina were still pretty sugary and sweet at 15. Miley has plenty of time to grow up. Let her enjoy time in Teen Vogue and all the teeny bopper mags. There is no need for Vanity Fair at this stage in her life/career, IMO.

[mustangcobra44]

I think most of the pictures were creepy, and I am a fan of Annie Leibovitz's work. What I find much more upsetting are the other skanky pictures of her on the internet with the boyfrined etc. They just showed up too. Did the girl suddenly get a surge of hormones? While many other girls are doing that or much worse, they are not getting paid millions of dollars to be a good role model. Did you ever find pictures of Hillary Duff or Anne Hathaway like that? So Miss Cyrus is not getting any of our money. It shows bad judgment on her part and bad judgment on her parents' part too. It makes you wonder if she has been hanging out with the Spears sisters kwim?

I know where you're coming from but let's not kid ourselves. She's not getting paid to be a role model. She's getting paid to act and sing. If she chooses to be a role model given her position then that's great. But nobody is cutting her a check for the specific purpose of being a role model.

[Kungjo]

I don't think that the pictures in Vanity Fair were too bad, but it's a big departure from the wholesome image she tries to maintain when she's Hannah Montana. It's disturbing that she would do those poses with her father though. Seems too intimate and chummy for a father-daughter pair.

If you think of the target audience for Vanity Fair, it's not bad, but I would have problems if my DD saw those pictures in a children's magazine.

I'm annoyed about this. I understand that she's trying to expand her horizons and that her parents are trying to position her for the next level, but aren't they rushing it a bit? Come on! She's only 15. And a lot of her current fans are 5-7 years of age. I don't want my DD thinking that it's okay to do what Miley did. I just hope that she doesn't end up like Lindsey Lohan. What a waste. Both are suppose to be role models and one already screwed up not only her image, but her life. Such a shame.

[maestramommy]

I *think* I saw all the pics being talked about on the VF site. It seems like the raciest one is the one that came out first, the rest are behind the scenes shots right? Regarding the one with her dad, I think it's misleading because she's dressed like a 20ish rock star and he's dressed like a 40something rock star. And that's what he is, right? Sorta anyway:ROTFLMAO:. I might've posed with my dad like that, just not dressed like that, with him dressed like that. We may be letting the external trappings fool our eyes.

The main pic though, and the others, it's obvious that they are trying to make her look much older and more sophisticated than her Hannah Montana image. Whether that's right or wrong, good idea or bad, well it's up to her parents and her. I certainly would not agree to my daughters posing for any mag dressed like that at the age of 15. But just because the Cyrus's did doesn't necessarily make them bad or misguided parents. Is VF really taken that seriously? Are any of those types of magazines? Tweens don't even read them, do they?

Maybe tweens are too young to realize this, but as parents isn't it part of our job to point out that Hannah Montana is in fact, not a real person? She's a character on a TV show, like a character in a book. Miley Cyrus is the girl who pretends to be her, just like tweens pretend when they are playing. Why does Miley Cyrus have to be just like Hannah Montana? She's her own person. And must she be a role model?

I guess I'm thinking that it's a little unfair to expect celebrities to somehow be "better" than the common person. I also think it's unrealistic to expect them to be role models, a job they may not have ever asked for. There are plenty of IRL people in the lives of our children that could be those role models. Why do we insist on the image that's not even real?

[purpleeyes]

Everyone's in such a hurry to grow up. I'm under 30 and when I see middle school girls I'm so shocked. They are taller, leaner, more mature looking than ever. When I was 12 I LOOKED twelve, kwim? It's not just girls it's everyone.



OMG, a WORLD of YES to that one. When I was 12, 13, 14, and even 15 I was gangly and awkward and I certainly didn't look sexy! :)

Kids don't look like KIDS anymore, and I think that is part of the problem with these pics. A PP said "post coital" and that is a perfect description of the image-not exactly an image I would want of my 15 year old. These pictures tell our kids that is what they should look like, hence we have kids who don't like like kids.

I loved reading everyone's thoughts!!

[salsah]

I actually found the one with her father most disturbing. Didn't realize he was her father till I read the caption- looked like a much older boyfriend from the compromising position IMO.

i was surprised to find out that the man in the photo is her father. something about it looked more romantic rather than father - daughter.

[kransden]

I know where you're coming from but let's not kid ourselves. She's not getting paid to be a role model. She's getting paid to act and sing. If she chooses to be a role model given her position then that's great. But nobody is cutting her a check for the specific purpose of being a role model.

I completely disagree with you. She works for Disney, and as a Disney employee, she is a role model for young girls. That is the Disney way, and more importantly to Disney, it sells more stuff. There are thousands of other girls in the world that are just as talented, and are willing to keep their clothes on that Disney can choose from. Britney and Lindsey never acted bad until after they left Disney.

If Miley was the star of some other network's show, I would say you're correct, but not a Disney branded show. Part of the Disney brand image is wholesomeness.

[Ceepa]

I completely disagree with you. She works for Disney, and as a Disney employee, she is a role model for young girls. That is the Disney way, and more importantly to Disney, it sells more stuff. There are thousands of other girls in the world that are just as talented, and are willing to keep their clothes on that Disney can choose from. Britney and Lindsey never acted bad until after they left Disney.

If Miley was the star of some other network's show, I would say you're correct, but not a Disney branded show. Part of the Disney brand image is wholesomeness.

If Disney doesn't like the choices she's making they can release her from her contract and hire someone else. But Miley Cyrus is not required to live a life of wholesomeness because her character is marketed to children. Would it be in her best interest to maintain an innocent lifestyle/image? Yes. Would it be in her career's best interest? Certainly. But she's not obligated.

Oh and I agree with pp that Disney is not paying her to be a role model. If she makes money for them, that's what matters.

[kransden]

.... Oh and I agree with pp that Disney is not paying her to be a role model. If she makes money for them, that's what matters.

That IS my point. Disney like any other company has a bottom line of $$$. Disney wants her to make money for them. Part of the Disney "package" is being a good role model. You don't see skanky Disney stars - for long. That is not the image they are looking for. When is the last time, did you see this type of controversy over a current Disney star? (Minus Vanessa Hudgens :) )

[kcandz]

I like the Fug Girls' commentary, especially this quote

"Disney wants her to be some kind of robot, an unerring kid-friendly role model with parent-friendly values. They demand she act like an adult — attending the Oscars, being articulate and bubbly in the press — but pitch a tantrum when she starts turning into one."

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/05/fugs_miley.html

[punkrockmama]

:yeahthat: If only it was obvious! Unfortunately you will be fighting all the messages she receives from the media & society at large.

I KNow. Tell me sister. And to add to it. I have to teach Peyton that no dear, all woman are not airbrushed within an inch of their lives and you can find beauty in everyone in different ways. Most girls don't look like VS models.

Blah.

[punkrockmama]

OMG, a WORLD of YES to that one. When I was 12, 13, 14, and even 15 I was gangly and awkward and I certainly didn't look sexy! :)

Kids don't look like KIDS anymore, and I think that is part of the problem with these pics. A PP said "post coital" and that is a perfect description of the image-not exactly an image I would want of my 15 year old. These pictures tell our kids that is what they should look like, hence we have kids who don't like like kids.

Yes! When I was 15 I was no angel but I did totally LOOK like a 15 yr old. I was short and baby faced......

I took my cousin to her first concert two years ago. It was Fall Out Boy. Guys my age were checking her out and chatting her up before the show. Of course I was all oh heeell no! But, I stopped and took a good hard look at her. She just DID NOT look 14, she really did look old enough, especially being with me and two of my friends, she blended right in. Made me shiver and want to take her home.