Miley Cyrus has caused a sensation by hosting the MTV VMAs last Sunday evening. The usual vultures, who are slut-shaming, race-shaming, and cultural appropriation-shaming Cyrus, are really out in full force this time. The consensus seems to be that Miley is no Madonna and she should just stop.
VH1’s Michael Arcenequx believes Miley’s antics are covering up her natural talents. Like others, he says Miley shouldn’t be compared to Madonna .
“Oh hell no. Cyrus may think she’s like Madonna. There may even be people she pays to lie to her about being like Madonna. Still, making endless weed jokes or standing around butt ass naked constantly a Madonna not make.”
Arcenequx correctly notes that Madonna was a genuine provocvateur, whose backlash helped gay rights, AIDS awareness, and expressions of female sexuality. He incorrectly cities Cyrus as being like a teenager with a fake ID, drunk at a college party while living out all of the scenarios from crappy movies.
Miley Cyrus’ antics serve a purpose. We still live in an incredibly misogynistic society where women are criticized for things men are loved for. Even so-called “feminist” websites, like Jezebel , produce page clicks by age-shaming and body-shaming other women. In 2013, the Los Angeles Times explained why the hate towards Cyrus is misdirected.
“Still, as long as Cyrus is in control of her body and how she uses it, then more power to her. Of all the problematic celebrities out there, Cyrus is hardly someone to worry about. (At least at this point in time.) We might even consider giving her kudos.”
To many, Miley Cyrus has gone from a good girl to a bad role model. They wish she could be more like her Hanna Montana character. However, it’s really the other way around. Miley Cyrus was really being the bad girl when she had to hide her bisexuality in order to appease America’s moral majority. She became the good girl when she came out of her shell, expressed her bisexuality, and even set up the Happy Hippy Foundation to help homeless LGBT teenagers and young adults.
Like Madonna, Miley goes to extremes to prove a point. When Madonna did something people consider revolutionary, she was called “desperate” at the time of the event (“ Like a Prayer ” video, SEX book, “ Justify My Love ” video). In a day where discrimination against women who dare to not act like women are supposed to is still prevalent, Miley Cyrus is a hero.
[Photo by Steve Granitz / Getty Images]
