Miley's Memorable Debut in 'Vanity Fair'
- April 30th, 2008
- 2 Comments
As if Miley Cyrus wasn’t already a household name, she is now the most googled girl on the internet. And she has “Vanity Fair” to thank (blame?) for that.
In a provocative photo shoot, Miley posed with a blanket—and nothing else. To call her “topless” or “naked”, however, puts a much edgier image than the rather subdued snapshots. In fact, I think we’ve seen more skin when Miley wears her beloved mini dresses on stage.
The actual photos are far less controversial than the idea that Miley posed sans clothes. At age 15. With millions of impressionable young fans. But this isn’t a case of cheap pre-fame nudies (like “High School Musical” star Vanessa Hudgens); these are elegant pictures taken by a renowned photographer.
Everyone from Disney to Rosie has commented on the situation:
- Annie Leibovitz, the acclaimed photog who shot the infamous pics, defended herself with this statement: “I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together, and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little make-up, and I think it is very beautiful.”
- After an apology to her fans, Miley justified her actions. “You can’t say no to Annie,” Miley said. “She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look, and you’re like, OK.”
- The Disney Channel, who has no plans to cancel “Hannah Montana” despite industry buzz, also issued a concerned statement: “A situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.”
- In a chat with CNN, an editor for Seventeen magazine complimented Miley on the way she’s handled the media whirlwind saying, “What happened this weekend is part of what makes her such a great role model. When she thinks she’s made a mistake, she immediately owns up to it. She doesn’t run from it or deny it. That’s very rare to see in young celebrities today.”
- Rosie O’Donnell, who loves to put her two cents in about scandals, sticks up for Miley on her personal blog writing, “Miley Cyrus, listen, Annie Leibovitz. I had two photo shoots with her…you kinda do what she says. It’s intimidating, Annie Leibowitz. I also didn’t think it was a pornographic photo in any capacity. I thought it was sort of a beautiful portrait. It’s Annie Leibovitz people. Leave Miley Cyrus alone!”
- The MTV Newsroom covered the scandal, concluding that “the problem is not with Miley Cyrus, or with her parents, it’s with all the people who are trying to make more of it than it is.” The article sparked nearly 50 comments.
- Ally Katzz, a tween social networking site, has gathered nearly 100 interesting comments about Miley’s photos. Here’s one take: “I think, she is trying to tell Disney, I’m older than most of my fans, don’t limit her to things that only 3 to 5 year olds would like. Most fans of hers are not in the teen years, I am and am a fan, but go to her concerts, most people are 11 or younger!”
Personally, I believe Miley should take a vacation from the media for a few weeks and give them time to fixate on another teen scandal. When Britney was her age, she was dancing around in a midriff-baring naughty school girl outfit while 8 year-old girls sang along to “Hit Me Baby One More Time…” I would take Miley over Britney any day.
Talk about a media frenzy!
What’s really ironic is that the Vanity Fair article is all about how Cyrus remains grounded despite all the fame and attention. The writer even points out that the media’s close scrutiny of Cyrus’ every action is in anticipation of her turning into another Britney…
“…all the celebrity weeklies have been ratcheting up their focus on her. With Lindsay Lohan rehabbed and Britney Spears under psychiatric care, the tabs are looking to Cyrus to flame out, or at least do something mildly outrageous.”
Funny, how that same article included the photos that began the firestorm.
Even funnier…how many pre-teens read Vanity Fair? This whole thing could have passed under the radar without a blip had the media not been so desperate for her to slip up.
Great job.
I think the real issue here is this is what you get when you put people in places where they don’t belong you’re going to have problems.
The same goes for many of these younger stars appearing in grown up media and being asked inappropriate questions. For instance last year AJ Michalka who had just turned 16 was asked on a CHR Hit Radio station in DC if she had a garden would she keep in clean, have it a little manicured or let the weeds grow out. That’s just sick! She had also shot in some questionable pictures by Blender when she was 14. Then again, the photographer was looking to shoot what he always does except it wasn’t a 20 year old who would do anything for some print.
I will admit though… you gotta laugh at who’s using the word ‘exploiting a teen’. (As they say, takes one to know one).