The battle of the Disney teen sensations- The Miley Cyrus Paradigm
By: Joanna Arcieri
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Entertainment
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Of all the teen stars on the market today-the Jonas Brothers, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift-no one bothers me more than the real-life Disney princess Miley Cyrus. Every time I hear one of her songs, watch Hannah Montana or just see pictures of her, I cringe.
Cyrus's enormous popularity actually makes me concerned for the future of American youth. Yet for some unknown reason, I pay attention and care about what Miley Cyrus does.
I first encountered Miley last spring when a friend would blast "See You Again" as we drove to and from Amherst College. This typical pop kiss off song is utterly ridiculous and Cyrus comes off as slightly delusional whenever she performs it, a fact that my friend and I laughed about when we drove. But "See You Again" found a place on my iPod and soon enough, I became a semi-fan of Miley Cyrus.
Around this time, Cyrus appeared on my other guilty pleasure, Dancing With the Stars, to perform "Ready, Set, Don't Go" with her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. "That's cute," I thought at the time, "She's performing a duet with her dad. Britney never would have done that." What I didn't realize then was that her appearance on DWTS was the beginning of the Miley Cyrus explosion.
Following this performance, Miley Cyrus's celebrity exploded beyond the Hannah Montana franchise. She released her second studio album, Breakout, hosted the CMT Awards and the Teen Choice Awards, voiced a character in the animated film Bolt, and was nominated for a Golden Globe. While her career achievements are admirable (think about what you were doing at 16), it is her ever-growing presence in the media that is driving me crazy.
First there was the Vanity Fair scandal, when Cyrus posed bare-backed for the magazine's cover. Miley played the "I'm 15 and na've" card but honestly, when Annie Leibovitz takes your photograph, you should expect a controversy. Then she was photographed pulling her eyelids to make slanted eyes or what Cyrus called "a goofy face." Now the 16-year-old Miley is dating a 20-year-old underwear model. According to Cyrus, her fans just want her to be happy, which is perfectly fine, except the majority of her fans are 12 years old, so what example is she really setting? Besides, I still have hope for her and Nick Jonas.