Ok, I know the VMAs were weeks ago, and I know most of the hoopla about Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke's preformance has died down, but it didn't stop me from seeing an article on facebook about Miley twerking and exploiting her black back up dancers... you know, one of those facebook time wasters where I feel like I'm doing something productive by reading an informative article but I eventually get sucked in to the vortex of youtube... yeah one of those.
So after reading an entire article on twerking I decided I needed to see if Miley really twerked that much in the video (The VMA performance was my only encounter with the song. What... I don't listen to pop radio OK?)
I watched the video (in which she only "twerks" once or twice... and even at the VMA's she really only stuck her butt in the air. Heck, even I can do that.) and wondered what all the fuss was about. I'm pretty sure Miley is not twerktastic.
What bothered me the most was the parts with her lying on the bed with come hither eyes grinding and gyrating. I felt like I was watching the opening minutes of a "solo girl" porn video... you know before she takes her clothes off.
But, OK, it's a music video for a song about taking drugs and going wild. What did I expect? That's not what bothered me. Well, that's not what bothered me enough to actually get on here and write about it.
This is what bothered me:
I read the comments section. Oh, Lord, why do I read the comments? I am addicted.
In the comments there are many who like it, lot's of spam trying to get me to look at their videos and a few too many people who care not about the twerking, not about the gyrating, not about the drugs and the laissez faire "I'm the centre of the universe" attitude. No no... what these people are concerned about is her HAIR!
"Oh, she used to be so pretty! Where did her hair go?" "It all went wrong when she cut off her hair" "oh boo hoo hair hair hair."
OK, OK, a lot of people did care about all the other stuff... but honestly, if the majority of teenage girls watching this care more about the length of Miley's hair than how slutty she's acting that's a problem.
"Twerking is so in right now! Oh look at her butt! I really like that outfit. They look like they're having so much fun at that party! I wish I could move like that on a bed... I'll practice later. OH, but that hair! It's so bad. She looks way prettier with long hair! I miss Hannah Montana"
I'm hoping that what's happening is that these kids are watching this and sensing that something is not right. When Rihanna or Britney act slutty in a video it's fine, because they have always been slutty. Yes, Britney Spears was also on Disney, but she became famous by dancing in a school girl outfit tailored for 6 year olds. When Miley Cyrus acts slutty there are echoes of Hanna Montana gyrating on a bed. I think this strikes a teeny chord with these young people; they know it's not Hannah Montana, they know people grow up, they know they are growing up themselves, but somehow they can see that Miley's trajectory has turned slightly trashy. The problem is that they are young, and inundated with sex and drugs, so this is par for the course for a music video. Somethings wrong, but they can't put their finger on it. So they worry that her hair isn't feminine enough. Because to them, girls are supposed to be flirty, funny and sexy... with long hair.
It hasn't occurred to them that maybe the problem is the sexual objectification of a sweet girl that used to be just like them. That in order to be "grown up" a girl, according to pop culture, must sell her sex. She must be into drugs or alcohol, because that's how you have a good time. She must be willing and able to do anything at all, even if that means she becomes nothing to herself.
Instead of wrestling with their feelings about her actions, she simply becomes "ugly". The problem is that one doesn't become ugly by cutting off one's hair. Good hair isn't going to help if you're a real "butter face". Somehow I think these girls are subtly picking up on the fact that her behaviour is unappealing and her outfits are ridiculous. They are projecting that onto her hair, the only obvious physical thing that has changed about her. The only thing that they can conceivably pick on with out their own hair catching fire. Her hair is the only thing that makes her different from the other girls in the music industry putting out slutty videos (I know Rihanna has short hair, but again, she always had short hair. Young people don't always make sense.)
Maybe I'm reading too much into this. Maybe I'm delusional, but I hope that this generation sees what's what eventually. Otherwise we're in trouble.
And for the record, I love Miley's new haircut. I think it's sassy, a little edgy and a little classy. I think she's got a lot of great things going for her, I just wish she'd stop trying to sell her sex as if she's worthless without it, because she's so not.
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