Miley’s Choice
Posted by anastasia on 08-12-2009
Yesterday I chatted with a reporter from the L.A. Times about the Miley Cyrus pole dancing controversy after this Sunday’s Teen Choice Awards. My comments didn’t make it into the article, so I figured I would write a post with my thoughts. I’m not sure if the post title really reflects what’s happening as much as someone (or multiple adults) in Miley’s camp making choices for her, but either way, she is attempting to transition from tween queen to an adult celebrity causing issues for the brand that launched her career (Disney) as well as risking creating a narrative that is more Britney or Lindsay than the other young stars mentioned in the Times (Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato or the Jonas Brothers).
The Disney problem (when talent is a big part of your brand)
Unlike other TV networks, for Disney (and Nickelodeon), their tween stars are literally part of their brand. They spawn merchandise, ice shows, music, etc. — they (and their shows) are franchises that span many platforms. They are also teenagers. I’ve never seen a Disney talent contract, but from Miley dissing her fellow Disney star on YouTube to publicly dating a 20-year-old, I would guess they don’t have much control over what their talent does in their personal life or have too much invested to give up on talent when they stumble publicly. Still, when talent screws up, some parents may feel betrayed by the Disney’s promise of squeaky clean teen entertainment, and some tweens and teens may lose respect for their idols. In Disney’s defense, it’s a pretty tough spot to be in and to have to respond to each time a new controversy surfaces.
Is any buzz good buzz?
We all know fame is fleeting, and nobody knows this better than managers/publicists. I think there is a school of thought that believes staying in the news means staying relevant. Stars show up at certain clubs or eat at restaurants where they know the paparazzi will be waiting to keep their names/images on entertainment shows, celebrity weeklies and on the blogs. Nothing generates more chatter than controversy, and especially controversy that involves sex. Maybe I’m cynical, but I can’t help but think some of these Miley controversies are part of an intentional strategy to position her for more adult roles (I can hear the collective, “duh.”). If that’s the case, it worked in that Miley’s pole dance is the only thing we’re really talking about from Sunday’s show, but the fact that we’re debating whether or not it was appropriate vs. talking about how great her performance actually was seems like it could backfire. The more Miley becomes known for being, as Perez Hilton labeled her, “slutty Miley,” the less she is remembered for being “talented Miley,” and the more typecast she becomes for certain roles in the next phase of her Hollywood career.
The pole was not there for balance
Finally, I didn’t talk about this in my interview, but let’s get real. We know that imagery from porn and the sex industry has been making its way into popular culture for years. Books have been written on this, vh1 has documented the relationship between rock and porn (yes “Oops I Did It Again” was directed by a former adult film director), and it’s very intentional. The problem is that it’s not age appropriate imagery for Miley’s current fan base while she’s still working for Disney. She is still a considered a role model for young girls, and parents don’t expect to see a Disney star straddle a pole on a show called the Teen Choice Awards. Then again…it is FOX, home to Family Guy (beloved by tweens/teens everywhere despite its very adult content) — maybe the show’s producers suggested the pole. Who knows?
What are your thoughts on Miley’s choices (or those of the entourage managing her career) as well as how Disney should respond to their aging talent?
For more coverage of the tween space, check out the Ypulse Tweens Channel, sponsored by the Tween Tribune.
Categorized under: Tweens
August 12th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
It would have been one thing to walk out of her tramp trailer and spin the pole on MTV or the Grammy’s; it’s quite another to do it on the Teen Choice Awards.
This is the same “adult” strategy her management deployed applied with the Vanity Fair shoot, but this time they shoved it in the face of the brand that made her and the families that supported her.
Huge FAIL.
August 12th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Let’s Dial-Down the Dialogue About Miley at the Teen Choice Awards:
The airwaves are abuzz about Miley Cyrus’ performance of her new song, Party in the USA, at the Teen Choice Awards (broadcast this past Monday). Reactions have run the gamut from outright condemnation to artistic kudos. One thing is certain: things will never be quite the same for the Hannah Montana star.
Every family makes their own choices about what is appropriate for their children to view and how to best communicate their values, but Ms Twixt takes issue with people labeling this young woman (she is 16 years old) as a “slut”. Regardless of your stance on the appropriatenes of Miley’s performance or even your views on the motivations behind this dance choice (see Anastasia Goodstein’s well-written post on this at YPulse and the LA Times article for a corporate perspective), as parents we need to dial-down the vitriol. She is, after all, somebody’s daughter too.
This is a “teachable moment” and a great opportunity to continue the discussion with your tween on what behavior is consistent with your family’s values, the influence of the media on body image, the role of celebrities as entertainers as opposed to role models, etc. This instance is but one of many opportunities to engage in a productive dialog with our daughters and their coming of age – let’s show them how we can do this with respect for all parties.
August 13th, 2009 at 4:29 am
I don’t know, I think it’s weird all that controversy over Miley Cyrus pole-dancing because it was not even a sexy thing, it was 0.5 seconds and the pole was there to support her in the ice cream cart prop.
Anyway, I do think Miley Cyrus is a brand but she is also a 16 year old. She’ll obviously screw up several times because, although that’s what everyone expects, she’s NOT controlled by Disney. Everytime she messes up, people are surprised once again she is not a Disney robot but a real (and not very bright) teenager. And nobody try to comprehend that. OK, she is a billion-dollar brand but STILL IS A YOUNG GIRL.
Anyway, the pole dancing “controversy” is another proof about how uptight American people are. No offense, but it’s weird to see it causing so much attention, it’s like people are extremely afraid of sex and think, because their kids are exposed to Miley dancing seductively for 1 nanosecond, they’ll become whores and will “grow up faster”. It’s EXTREMELY weird.
As a comparison, let me show you some scenes from an Argentine TV show called Patito Feo. It is aired in Disney Channel in the entire Latin American continent but also in Italy and Spain and Portugal and France and it’s a huge hit everywhere. It is targeted to young girls, maybe 11 year old:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br2Mwm7P3bw – That’s the villains of the show singing their extremely popular single “Las Divinas”. Imagine someone with this outfits and dancing this provocative choreography on the Disney Channel USA? No possible. In the rest of the world, it airs without problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JZcLTpEXBg – That’s a music video from the show.
So yes, HUGE difference. And are American kids more preserved because they’re exposed to only squeaky-clean stuff? Not really. So yes, I think this type of controversy (Miley going up and down a pole for 0.5 seconds OMG!) in the TEEN CHOICE AWARDS (home of much more provocative performances) is kind of dumb.
September 30th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Miley Cyrus has been making a lot of bad choices and I find that really surprising because kids from the ages of 7 to 18 watch her and she definately needs to know what is appropriate for that age group!
December 25th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
i think that was a little inapproprite she is someone lots of kids look up to