Relax Miley, It's Only Your Back

There’s no doubt about it, in today’s society, sex sells. But this isn’t news to anyone and it certainly isn’t something that has appeared on the scene in the last 20 years.

In recent days the latest controversy, or media storm, has surrounded a photo of 15-year-old T-ween sensation Miley Cyrus. Unless you’ve been held captive in a basement in
Austria the last few years (too soon?) you know that she stars in the hit Disney television program Hannah Montana. This is a show that targets the 7-12 age group and obviously if you’re a parent you probably don’t want your child’s current idol to be seen dressed in a provocative manner.

Kids like to pretend they are their hero’s and idols. Heck, I can recall as a child I loved Lee Major’s character “Steve Austin” on The Six Million Dollar Man (I'm hooked on that show lately) and my neighbourhood friends and I would jump off picnic tables or pretend to be bionic. I’m pretty sure Lee Major’s probably posed for some provocative chest hair showing photos back then but as a kid I couldn’t care less.

Of course this is a little different. In Cyrus’ case, she’s a minor and needs to be protected and at the same time, young fans also need to be protected as well. How many of you remember the recent Britney Spears mania and all of the young girls that quickly changed their clothing style and ended up exposing their midriff just like their hero? Who’s to blame for that? Is it the celebrity who is obviously being manipulated by her handlers or parents who allow their kids to dress like that?

I’m going to admit that I don’t see what the big deal is with this Vanity Fair photo of Cyrus. She’s holding a sheet in front of her and showing an exposed back and shoulder. Good Lord, I’ve seen girls that age or younger wearing less at the beach. I think they’re getting a little out of control with this one. If I was a parent, I’d be more upset about recent photos of her that were leaked on to the internet showing her flashing her bra.

Disney is worried, not for Cyrus’ well-being, but for the image of their “cash cow” being tainted. This girl and her character are worth millions to Disney and you know they’d like to avoid seeing that money disappear any sooner than it has to.

Come on, do they honestly think that fans of the show are going to turn it off in protest. OK, maybe there are some parents who are prudes and probably still believe no skin should be shown above the knee and below the neck. The reality is, in today’s society, morals have changed immensely and unless you live in a compound with 400 other Polygamists you’ve changed with the times as well.

At some point, Cyrus is going to be an adult and that audience of kids is going to disappear or grow up with her. If she’s not careful, her career will vanish as well. She’ll have to make that jump from child star to adult star…unless she plans to be the next Raffi or Sharon, Lois and Bram and just do children’s albums.

I was trying to think of some child stars that were also considered to be “sex symbols” at some point during their youthful career and how they and their careers turned out. Let me see…how about:

Brooke Shields: I’d have to check my facts but I believe she appeared naked at the age of 11(?) in a movie and later in her most famous role in The Blue Lagoon when she was 15. At the time it seemed quite shocking but was it really a big deal? Her career is still going fairly strong today.

Jodie Foster: Her role as a child prostitute in Taxi Driver earned her an Academy Award nomination and her career is still alive.

And of course I can’t forget the one child star I had a huge crush on as a youngster…Marsha Brady (Maureen McGovern). Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. I was so jealous when Davy Jones of the Monkees got to go on a date with her on the Brady Bunch. Come to think of it, I guess her career did go South after that show went off the air. Damn typecasting.

In the end we all know this is going to blow over and more often than not scandals like these are perpetrated by the stars themselves just to generate more interest in their careers and to keep their names in the public conscious. One thing is sure, I didn’t watch Hannah Montana before and I’m certainly not going to watch it now. I say lets move forward from this and concentrate on a story that’s much more fascinating…isn’t it about time for Britney to do something stupid again?