Slutty because she's naked? A mess because she licks a sledge hammer?
Not really.
I don't know if you saw it coming, but I did. When Miley Cyrus was no longer Hannah Montana I knew that this would happen. It's not like ex-Disney stars have it in their contract or that they follow a formula, but if you've lived long enough-say at least 16 years, to see pop stars past their teens or at least verging on the end of their bubblegum days, you'll know that this is the route called "Growing Up", as in Pop Culture "Growing Up".
Ask me some years ago, maybe I'll find Miley Cyrus bothering. But I'm glad it's happening now, because I could speak better of the whole "situation". This is all opinion, okay, don't take this to heart. Here it goes. If you grow up under the spotlight and most especially if you've been suited with such a massive franchise like Hannah Montana, you know it'll be difficult to escape it. Miley, will probably never be seen apart from Hannah. And that's just how it is. I was never a fan of the show. I never thought she was funny or that she was adorable. And that's because I'm not the market.
Miley however, I like a lot. She's got guts to go this far. She's got a vision for herself, a sure sound for her music and most definitely an expectation of the many things to come after this incredible repackaging. That's what I like about her. She is fully aware of the billions of parents and now teenage girls who looked up to her huge mouth, sinister bright pink jackets and annoyingly stiff long wig, who are far from pleased at all her tongue action, twerking and dressing down instances and she still pursued this new path. While this is true and it will pain old fans, Miley is an adult now and is opening herself up-quite literally, to a new crowd, an older set of listeners and viewers who may not always look like her or act like her, but enjoy and appreciate the shows and songs she puts on.
Wrecking Ball is trending online and has hit close to 20 million views in a span of less than 24 hours mainly because of two things. She's Miley Cyrus and she's naked. That's it. Those 20 million views, you could only account for a small percentage of people who actually care about the song. A chunk of that cares about her ass, her breasts, her licking a sledge hammer. And maybe it makes others feel better that they're not like her, I don't know. But am I the only person able to go past the sex and the video's implications of it? I don't know.
I like the song cause she sounds amazing. The lyrics are well-written. Her voice is rough and tender at the same time and she hits high notes like you're spreading butter on hot toast. She's that good a singer, if you think about it. And must we overlook how maturely she sings about heartbreak and how love, often times is a true losing game-thanks Amy Winehouse? I tweeted about this video saying something like, I honestly do not give a shit if Miley does full-on porn for this video, not because I don't mind or that for me it's right, but because her talent is way bigger than the antics she does. Period.
People see the dirty videos, the naked bodies, the boy-cut hair, the endless licking because it's all they want to see. Nothing else. They label her slut and other things, but I'm better off with all this out-in-the-openness than girls who act like ladies but are far from lady-like when no one's watching.
So when I finally finished the music video, I thought to myself, while Miley may not be leading the crusade for good morals and whatever, she never actually set out to head down that road anyway. Right? Maybe her Hannah Montana days were all about that. But Hannah Montana is long gone. While the shadow casts dark and looms large over her, it's quite stylish, honestly for people to move on and realize that, well, they can't have Hannah Montana forever (thankfully).
And the same goes for this new Miley. I'm sure when she grows older, she'll drop the twerking, let go of her tight white tops and bottoms and change into something more appropriate her age. That's the hope anyway. What I believe in in Miley is her talent, that voice and that youth that grants her many, many more years to come of experimenting, shocking and pleasing and most definitely music. Like one teen on YouTube's Teens React To episode for Miley, I too have a good feeling about this one.
While you can't stop haters from hating-it's their job, you can take note of the fact that it takes more for a woman (or man) to be slutty and qualify as a mess, that music is still about the music and that finally, this is all entertainment. Call the police on Miley, not when she's swinging on a wrecking ball in her undies, but when she does all the real slutty things to you-steals your husband, sells you drugs, you know, those biases you have.
But I do have to agree with the naysayers: lessen the tongue action. For the next video at least, don't lick anything edible or inedible. Thanks.
Won't Stop and Can't Stop,
Gerard
