We Need To Talk About Miley

Sit down. I feel like we need to talk.

So MTV's VMA's (Video Music Awards) were held this past weekend and to say they caused quite a rumpus is an understatement but the headline act of the night, not by bill but by the public's inability to shut up about it, was Miley Cyrus. You probably know her as Hannah Montana, the once Queen of the Disney Channel with a bit of a split personality going on (a bit like Beyonce and her stage persona Sasha Fierce only wrapped in Disney sponsored wrapping with a shiny bow and family friendly comedy going on). As of late, Miley has changed. She's shaved her hair, attacked it with peroxide, has been wearing increasingly provocative clothing and her new album is a much more grown up club sound. What does the media call it? Oh...what was that word? Oh yeah, slutty.

No, people, no. Miley is a grown woman in her twenties who has come out of the Disney machine reasonably compus mentus. You don't see her parading widely reported abusive relationships to the press, caught in drug busts, thrown out of clubs, flaunting her vulva to papparazzi for attention and being locked up. She seems like a sensible person in interviews and yes, she's precocious but so what? Weren't/aren't we all? If we could get away with doing what we wanted and gaining publicity and generating money from it, wouldn't we?

The issue here is that the media has been slut shaming Miley for daring to wear a flesh toned latex two piece, twerking (arse shaking, essentially), grinding up on Robin 'I'm creepy and a bit' Thicke, sticking her tongue out and using a foam finger as a prop between her legs as she's thrusting. Wow, right? Have we not seen this before? Not when Jennifer Lopez was thrusting her well waxed crotch barely a few months ago to ITV's Camera 2 on Britain's Got Talent? When Rihanna does anything ever for no real reason other than entertainment? Even that very same evening when Lady Gaga's widely well received performance involved her sporting a tiny bra and g-string as the entirety of her stage costume? She's just Gaga at her best? Well SHE JUST BEIN' MILEY.

The big issue I have with this is that Robin Thicke, dressed as if he were inspired by Beetlejuice was all the while singing his number one single in collaboration with Pharrell and another insignificant misogynist which hosts lyrics such as "I know you want it" and "You're an animal, baby it's in your nature. Just let me liberate you.." all while being surrounded and touched by semi-naked women in the video (naked women in the uncut version) all displaying sexual behaviour and this video and song is aired ALL THE DAMN TIME. He generates money and a few disdainful looks but for the majority people are just twerking in clubs every night to this song while Miley gets lambasted as a slut and a whore with allegations like she's lost her mind and she's clearly on drugs.

Really?

How do we let a man reminiscent of a creepy older family member dictate what he can do and when but Miley who is exploring everything from music to style to sexuality just like many of her female celebrity counterparts have done or are still doing is slut shamed? This is not okay. She promotes a healthy lifestyle as far as the media goes albeit with a little more sideboob. Unless you are her dental hygienist, her white ass tongue has nothing at all to do with you. She can stick it out, in, in something else - not a big deal.

To summarise, Miley owes nothing to her fans. She gave them everything in Hannah Montana with the TV show, appearances, albums, merchandise, a film and she breaks out as an artist in her own right who is actually quite a talented country singer when sheI t stops singing crap R&B infused pop. I this is the worst thing she has ever done, shouldn't people be happy? Yes the performance was terrible, the dancing repulsive blah blah blah but it's nothing I haven't seen before and nothing the majority of people haven't either. If children start shaving their heads, wearing latex and twerking in Asda that is fully down to parenting and not Miley herself. I really hope she does this, ends up on Oprah's couch in a few years and uses all the publicity it will generate to launch a more mature country sound which is what she's really rather excellent at. She's young, she's fit, healthy and seems happy - trial by media for being a slut? Shame on you.