Miley Cyrus VMA performance sparks moral outrage

[mynameisbob84]

Miley Cyrus stripped down to her underwear and rubbed her ass on Robin Thicke at the VMA's last night and the world is apparently aghast.



I'm not a Cyrus fan by any means (no discernable talent, incredibly arrogant, a product of a machine that stresses marketability over artistry) but I don't get what folk are getting their panties in a twist over. It was a blatant publicity stunt and sex has a proven track record of selling stuff. The VMA's exist as a platform on which to sell stuff. Ultimately, people are becoming irate because they were reminded that sex is a thing that exists.

What were folks' reactions to this?

Also, I'd be remiss in not mentioning that Miley looks really hot in her underwear :-D

 

[Anonymous]

I think we need to stop focusing on her body/sexual junk and address the fact that she is a culturally appropriating racist who uses black people as accessories.

 

[AmberCutie]

2 things:

1. That video is private, but I'm sure many people have seen what you're referring to already as it's ALL OVER THE DAMN INTERNET TODAY (and I can't escape it.)

2. I think people are uber critical of Miley because she got her start as a child star on a show aimed at kids and tweens, and now she's all rebellious and sexualized. There are a lot of entertainers who got their start on Disney as a child star that grew up to be sex icons, in a sense. Dunno why it's worse for Miley than them. Brittney Spears was similar though, if you recall her snake dance on the VMAs like 10 years ago. At least she was hot, though.

I don't find her the least bit attractive, and the outfit she wore only made her body look hideous (whomever was in charge of her costume should be fired) so I didn't find the performance good at all. And if people continue to call the move she did where she wiggled her non-existent ass in Robin Thicke's crotch "Twerking" I'm going to go crazy.

Oh, I guess I'll add 3. wat

I think we need to stop focusing on her body/sexual junk and address the fact that she is a culturally appropriating racist who uses black people as accessories.

 

[Anonymous]

http://jezebel.com/on-miley-cyrus-ratch ... -514381016

 

[KaterinaPryde]

And if people continue to call the move she did where she wiggled her non-existent ass in Robin Thicke's crotch "Twerking" I'm going to go crazy.

Yeah I laughed at that being called "Twerking" all she did was shake her ass a bit

She is trying to break the "Disney perfect girl" image so she can get jobs as she gets older. When I watched it I was ready to see something really pressing boundaries since I heard she was more shocking than Gaga. After watching it I laughed because that was nothing. If anything I thought her floor show looked stupid. She looked kinda spastic, like a girl trying entirely too hard. But in the end she got what she wanted - EVERYONE is talking about her

 

[mynameisbob84]

http://jezebel.com/on-miley-cyrus-ratchet-culture-and-accessorizing-with-514381016

I like Jezebel for the most part but feel they're kinda clutching at straws on this one. Dodai Stewart is basically saying that white Americans shouldn't be allowed to dance like black Americans because black Americans are typically underprivileged and white Americans aren't. Not only does her argument not make a whole lot of sense, but she's also (inadvertantly) reinforcing the idea that black people and white people are to be treated differently. Which is not a good thing :twocents-02cents:

 

[Evvie]

I am seriously hoping this thread doesn't turn in to a racial argument. I'm sure everyone has good points but I also know nobody is going to agree and pretty soon things will devolved in to multi-quoted point-by-point argument madness.

 

[LioraVox]

All I want to say is. Miley just makes me angry ( like I want someone to punch her in the face angry), and not a lot of people understand why..especially when it's so clear. She can do what she wants, she's a grown woman, whatever. But I see her as a "teenage girl" trying to act out, be rebellious,and using these stereotypes as a way to go about it. It's fucked up and I don't understand why it's acceptable to even THINK that this behavior is okay.

 

[SoTxBob]

Its your fault Bob! ... I had to go see what all the fuss was about.. lmao.. that poor kid, but, I can see her wanting to adopt other cultural identities .. a dad like Billy doesn't seem like much to follow or identify with.
The best thing tho about any of it, (IMHO of course), are some of the tweets about the "spectacle" of Miley and the VMA's in general....

"Not to come across as someone who cares about the VMAs or Miley Cyrus but Robin Thicke is 36 and should know better."

"Just woke up from a nightmare about beetlejuice and a child in latex underwear grinding on him."

"When the Destiny's Child reunion seems generous by comparison, you know you've done something terribly wrong."

"Flipped to the VMAs real quick to see that Miley Cyrus is still twerkin real hard to set us back 40 years."

"Officially diagnosed with PTSD after watching Miley's tongue wiggle waggle."

"Anyone who thinks Miley Cyrus needs intervention, retweet. That was not art. That was a cry for help-Shame on MTV and any who facilitate."


"robin thicke looks like that semi-wealthy guy who lives on the end of your street and always asks you how school’s going and if your sister’s 18 yet." :lol:

 

[MrRodry]

"Twerk, Miley, Miley, twerk"

 

[LacieLaPlante]

She's just a little girl trying to prove she's not a little girl anymore. It's sad that she probably totally missed the fact that what she did isn't particularly sexy, even though they're sexually charged.

Anyway, I used to love Miley, was a hannah Montana fan (secretly, lol I think only my mom knew), but it's kinda silly what people will do for attention

 

[Evvie]

All I want to say is. Miley just makes me angry ( like I want someone to punch her in the face angry), and not a lot of people understand why..especially when it's so clear. She can do what she wants, she's a grown woman, whatever. But I see her as a "teenage girl" trying to act out, be rebellious,and using these stereotypes as a way to go about it. It's fucked up and I don't understand why it's acceptable to even THINK that this behavior is okay.

I saw her music video, it wasn't particularly interesting to me. I think I find the young pop idols of the day irritating simply because they are EVERYWHERE. Twilight, Justin Beebs, and Miley Cyrus would all hardly be so frustrating to put up with if they would just go away sometimes. It's like hearing the same song twenty times in a day. Eventually it just grates on your nerves, especially when you don't particularly like it in the first place.

I agree that exploiting stereotypes is bad. There are plenty of ways to separate yourself from an earlier image without having to go down that route (like Robert Patterson did by insulting fans from his Twilight days).

I also do not entirely agree that she is a child... she is 20, after all. I started camming when I was 19 and having sex with a 29 year old man and nobody was up in arms about how I was a child being exploited. Or that I was going through a teenage rebellious phase. I'd be more than pleased to rub my butt on Thicke and I'm only older than she is by a few months.

 

[LioraVox]

I saw her music video, it wasn't particularly interesting to me. I think I find the young pop idols of the day irritating simply because they are EVERYWHERE. Twilight, Justin Beebs, and Miley Cyrus would all hardly be so frustrating to put up with if they would just go away sometimes. It's like hearing the same song twenty times in a day. Eventually it just grates on your nerves, especially when you don't particularly like it in the first place.

I agree that exploiting stereotypes is bad. There are plenty of ways to separate yourself from an earlier image without having to go down that route (like Robert Patterson did by insulting fans from his Twilight days).

I also do not entirely agree that she is a child... she is 20, after all. I started camming when I was 19 and having sex with a 29 year old man and nobody was up in arms about how I was a child being exploited. Or that I was going through a teenage rebellious phase. I'd be more than pleased to rub my butt on Thicke and I'm only older than she is by a few months.

I think you misunderstood me.. I wasn't calling her a child. I said I see her as a "teenage girl" meaning the girl that is in her rebellious phase and does the most ridiculous things to go against the grains she was raised on. Normally when someone decides to act in this manner of her social standing it's "I'm going to hang out with this specific type of people/ i'm going to dress like this/ i'm going to do these things. Because it's against/not the way I was raised" , it's while they are a teenager - or at least that's how I associate it.

And I'm not talking about her being overly sexual. I really don't care about that -I'm a cam model, I'm overly sexual sometimes. My thing is - why is it okay for her (or anyone) to use cultural stereotypes as a means to be "rebellious" or to show that she is grown up and can do what she wants.

 

[CharlotteLace]

I agree with Evvie, there's plenty of ways she could have overcome the Hannah Montana part of her life, without going the way of being shocking or crazy to get attention.

Personally, I dislike her voice, but if she had stuck to doing this kind of stuff instead, I think she'd be a bit more respected and less of a clusterfuck to watch.

 

[Evvie]

I saw her music video, it wasn't particularly interesting to me. I think I find the young pop idols of the day irritating simply because they are EVERYWHERE. Twilight, Justin Beebs, and Miley Cyrus would all hardly be so frustrating to put up with if they would just go away sometimes. It's like hearing the same song twenty times in a day. Eventually it just grates on your nerves, especially when you don't particularly like it in the first place.

I agree that exploiting stereotypes is bad. There are plenty of ways to separate yourself from an earlier image without having to go down that route (like Robert Patterson did by insulting fans from his Twilight days).

I also do not entirely agree that she is a child... she is 20, after all. I started camming when I was 19 and having sex with a 29 year old man and nobody was up in arms about how I was a child being exploited. Or that I was going through a teenage rebellious phase. I'd be more than pleased to rub my butt on Thicke and I'm only older than she is by a few months.

I think you misunderstood me.. I wasn't calling her a child. I said I see her as a "teenage girl" meaning the girl that is in her rebellious phase and does the most ridiculous things to go against the grains she was raised on. Normally when someone decides to act in this manner of her social standing it's "I'm going to hang out with this specific type of people/ i'm going to dress like this/ i'm going to do these things. Because it's against/not the way I was raised" , it's while they are a teenager - or at least that's how I associate it.

And I'm not talking about her being overly sexual. I really don't care about that -I'm a cam model, I'm overly sexual sometimes. My thing is - why is it okay for her (or anyone) to use cultural stereotypes as a means to be "rebellious" or to show that she is grown up and can do what she wants.

I agree with all of what you were saying. I was also referencing some above posts that make mention of her being a child/little girl even though I did not quote them

But perhaps we are overestimating how much control she does have over all of this. I feel that a lot of people are involved in managing her career and directing her to do things and while she may want to go in this direction, she would not be unless her handlers agreed with it.

 

[LilyMarie]

I don't understand why people are so shocked. Craziness happens at the VMAs every other year. OMG!! Dancing that's supposed to look sexy, and outfit that's supposed to look sexy and suggested sexual actions on stage! Le gasp. That has never happened before, right. :roll:
I did not like the performance. It was awkward as whole. It seemed desperately trying to be sexual, and not genuine. The choreography and the dancers were weird. Her outfit was weird. So was Thicke's. But in the end an artist is free to do whatever they want. And it was only a question of time when this girl would wholeheartedly say 'fuck you' to the rules Disney used to put on her when she was still working for them. Like Amber said, it's what Britney did.

A pop star is not a babysitter or a teacher.
If you're the kind of parent who's afraid of their daughter choosing a star as a role model (and actually heavily modifying her behavior according to that person), then the problem lies with you and the way you raised your child. My mom always used to tell me that almost everything I see on TV is exaggerated and made to sell products, and that there's a difference between TV and real life and the way people behave on one vs. the other. I would have never tried to imitate a pop star. That whole world always seemed far enough away I guess.


All the morality talk aside, Miley Cyrus actually wore what you could call a top and pants.

Lady Gaga wore this.

I haven't seen a single tweet or reddit post criticizing her for that choice.

 

[LioraVox]

I agree with all of what you were saying. I was also referencing some above posts that make mention of her being a child/little girl even though I did not quote them

But perhaps we are overestimating how much control she does have over all of this. I feel that a lot of people are involved in managing her career and directing her to do things and while she may want to go in this direction, she would not be unless her handlers agreed with it.

In which case, everyone involved should be punched in the face.

I agree with Charlotte, had she stuck with that, she may have been very popular now.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

I also do not entirely agree that she is a child... she is 20, after all. I started camming when I was 19 and having sex with a 29 year old man and nobody was up in arms about how I was a child being exploited. Or that I was going through a teenage rebellious phase. I'd be more than pleased to rub my butt on Thicke and I'm only older than she is by a few months.

Yeah I think it's funny seeing as how many guys 30+ who are on this forum alone masturbate over girls her age and even younger on a weekly basis... Now I mean sure, what Miley did was probably as far from sexy or even sexual as I can imagine, and it did look like the kind of thing a 12 year old girl might do in their bedroom thinking they're copying pop stars, when really they just look silly and naive. But just because she seems to have no idea what actually is sexy, and ended up putting on a very embarrassing performance, doesn't mean she's actually a child. And if you do think she's a child then maybe some of you should reconsider who you wank over, sure some girls may seem more mature than others, but most of that is just how they're presenting themselves.

 

[JickyJuly]

ANYONE who expects a 21 year old girl to be a beacon of good choices and modesty for their child to look up to is a selfish, stupid cow. We all have lives to live. If Miley's involves jiggling around in her underpants for millions of dollars, that's her business. These parents who think everyone in the tv has an obligation to live in a way that will inspire their children are entitled to no end. Entertainment is a cross section of our culture. If they don't like it they should-
A. Live in the way they hope their children will in order to be role models THEMSELVES.
B. Get rid of the TV.
I don't have a TV. I don't plan to get one. I don't expect anyone else to shape my kid's moral compass. Tada. Problem solved. Plopping your kid in front of the almighty screen might be easier than engaging with them, but it comes at a price. That can't be blamed on Miley Cyrus.

Edited to add: Miley is also a product of patriarchy and misogyny. We teach little girls that they're worth more if they remain little girls, but we glorify all things sex. It's such a mixed message. In a way all women have to fight to be seen as adults. Women really can't win. So, we should all just do what makes us happiest and ignore the peanut gallery.

 

[PunkInDrublic]

Still too morally outraged to comment on it. She ratchet tho.

 

[mynameisbob84]

ANYONE who expects a 21 year old girl to be a beacon of good choices and modesty for their child to look up to is a selfish, stupid cow. We all have lives to live. If Miley's involves jiggling around in her underpants for millions of dollars, that's her business. These parents who think everyone in the tv has an obligation to live in a way that will inspire their children are entitled to no end. Entertainment is a cross section of our culture. If they don't like it they should-
A. Live in the way they hope their children will in order to be role models THEMSELVES.
B. Get rid of the TV.
I don't have a TV. I don't plan to get one. I don't expect anyone else to shape my kid's moral compass. Tada. Problem solved. Plopping your kid in front of the almighty screen might be easier than engaging with them, but it comes at a price. That can't be blamed on Miley Cyrus.

Boom. Couldn't agree more :thumbleft:

 

[CallMeWilliam]

What were folks' reactions to this?

None, I didn't see it nor will I go out of my way to view it. I just don't give a crap about her.

 

[Sevrin]

Yeah I think it's funny seeing as how many guys 30+ who are on this forum alone masturbate over girls her age and even younger on a weekly basis...

I'd like to think that those who can't do better than "weekly" are in the minority.

 

[yossarian]

The only way it could have crossed any further into train wreck territory would be if she had been grinding on Alan Thicke.

 

[GemmaMarie]

I think it was trashy and tasteless, IMO. So is the video but at least in a video it's appropriate. I think younger crowds also watch the VMAs and people need to remember that. It is definitely geared more toward an adult audience, but even 12/13 year olds don't need to be exposed to that train wreck massacre, not that anyone else should be either!!! lol.

Also, this isn't JUST a knock at Miley Cyrus, I feel that way about all performances like hers. Like in a video that's one thing, on a public stage during a platform like that- c'mon grow up. Plus, she just looked spastic. I wouldn't call what she did a performance. I'd expect to see dancing and talent like THAT at a club.


Also- to add I'm kinda bummed she's turning out to be such a train wrekc b/c I actually didn't (& don't when she actually sings!) mind her voice! & she has a lot of potential to be big but I think that train wrekc mess she brought to the stage was like... Wow. no.

 

[AllisonWilder]

I agree that the performance was bad. I'm a bit of a Miley fan (I like her current hit and I also liked Hannah Montana, don't judge me) and I just found the whole thing awkward, but I've thought that about VMA performances in the past and will probably think that of future performances.

I don't understand the whole 'moral outrage' thing. I've seen how she's been acting lately and I've seen her most recent videos, so it doesn't take a whole lot of brain power to figure out that her VMA performance wouldn't be much different. As a parent, I know what happens at the VMAs, so it's my job to keep that out of my house, not Miley's (or anyone else's for that matter) job to act in any certain way just because parents find it unsuitable.

 

[Aella]

Miley Cyrus was a child placed under massive amounts of pressure from adolescence, onwards.

Can you imagine living your teenage years in a world where your haircut is decided for you, your friends, your actions, where you go, and there is absolutely insane pressure on you to not make a single misstep? Can you imagine if every aspect of your own teenage life had been recorded and broadcast for the world to see? She didn't have two parents, she had a million. Companies were riding on her to not kiss the wrong boy, never to touch drugs or alcohol. She was forced into being the perfect child - as were most disney stars. Maybe the mental stress provoked by this was to the level of abuse, I don't know. It's interesting, though, that the behavior of grown child stars frequently seems to be similar to those with abusive childhoods - high levels of disrespect for authority, destructive behaviors, sexual promiscuity (to be fair, Cyrus hasn't actually seem to have done anything genuinely destructive, yet).

I have no idea what's going through her mind, but I suspect that she's angry. And while I don't particularly enjoy her musical performances, I don't feel disgusted by her, either.

 

[Evvie]

I think it was trashy and tasteless, IMO. So is the video but at least in a video it's appropriate. I think younger crowds also watch the VMAs and people need to remember that. It is definitely geared more toward an adult audience, but even 12/13 year olds don't need to be exposed to that train wreck massacre, not that anyone else should be either!!! lol.

I wonder how old everyone here was when they started seeing this kind of thing. I was watching porn when I was that age and having lame cybersex and I think we would all probably agree that's a whole lot "worse." I'm not sure how much damage the VMAs are really going to do to young teenagers and how scarred or polluted young minds will become when they see an adult woman rub her bottom on an adult man. I don't think I agree with the argument that, "it's made for adults but kids might see it so we should make it for kids."

Young people do imitate what they see, but isn't Youtube full of sexualized dancing videos that most teenagers have free access to? It's tough for me to see how a televised event is any more widespread or worse than what can be found on non-porno sites by anybody.

I just feel that most adults were exposed to this kind of thing at a young age and the world is still turning. When most kids these days start watching pornography at 11-13 years old I find it hard to believe that a sexy video award performance is going to do any harm.

 

[GemmaMarie]

I think it was trashy and tasteless, IMO. So is the video but at least in a video it's appropriate. I think younger crowds also watch the VMAs and people need to remember that. It is definitely geared more toward an adult audience, but even 12/13 year olds don't need to be exposed to that train wreck massacre, not that anyone else should be either!!! lol.

I wonder how old everyone here was when they started seeing this kind of thing. I was watching porn when I was that age and having lame cybersex and I think we would all probably agree that's a whole lot "worse." I'm not sure how much damage the VMAs are really going to do to young teenagers and how scarred or polluted young minds will become when they see an adult woman rub her bottom on an adult man. I don't think I agree with the argument that, "it's made for adults but kids might see it so we should make it for kids."

Young people do imitate what they see, but isn't Youtube full of sexualized dancing videos that most teenagers have free access to? It's tough for me to see how a televised event is any more widespread or worse than what can be found on non-porno sites by anybody.

I just feel that most adults were exposed to this kind of thing at a young age and the world is still turning. When most kids these days start watching pornography at 11-13 years old I find it hard to believe that a sexy video award performance is going to do any harm.

I actually quite agree. My post was more like from the thoughts of a parent to quite young kids, I do realize VMA performances tend to be wacked out, & I think when my kids hit that age I'm sure my views will probably be a little more "well it's not the worse they've seen!" It's really easy for me to be all "MY KIDS WILL NEVER BE EXPOSED TO SUCH THINGS!" now :lol: Real life will bitch slap me later!

& I also don't think the VMAs are the "worse thing ever" or anything. YouTube definitely exposes youth to massive amounts of WTF. I just implied that I believe performers should be more conscious of their audiences. It's real easy to be like fuck it I don't care & most do, it just leaves a very small percentage of people left for our up and coming youth to actually look up. I could name a million celebrities my kids know about that I wish they didn't and very few who I would say are good role models. I am sure it's always been like this and just now, being on the parent end of it, am I noticing it.

It's 100% my responsibilty to monitor my kids as much as I can to ensure their watching appropriate things and forming healthy ideals about the world. That doesn't mean I can't wish that more people would step up to be someone who my kids could enjoy and look up to instead of all the train wrecks & mass amounts of sexuality (& typically not the SEXY kind either) we're seeing lately.

 

[SweepTheLeg]

LilyMarie's sentiment is the same as mine, Lady Gaga is walking around in public wearing a G-string and no one cares, but here's Miley Cyrus and lordy lordy lordy that girl needs Jesus!

I couldn't avoid the reactions and photos on facebook or twitter and I honestly think the main reason most people were so offended by this was more how she looked in her outfit more than anything. What if who ever did her outfit didn't make her ass look so ridiculous, or if she actually had an ass to compliment the outfit?

It was a young girl who is trying to do what ever she can to shed the image of the good girl she had to portray much of her childhood, see Alyssa Milano, or Christina Aguilera and countless others. I see people that age making worse decisions who haven't had to battle with being a role model or living up to an image set up by fiction.

"If your kid needs a role model and you ain't it, you're both fucked."- George Carlin