I was thinking about how women who make it in the music industry are constantly criticized for dresing in sexually provocative manners and can thus be labelled as a 'slut.' Although this can just be a manifestation of their own sexuality and of asserting their right to be expressive as man always are in their lyrics, women are still the ones constantly labelled and stereotyped.
It is interesting to also note what happens with some young up and coming music artists. Miley Cyrus began her career on the Disney Channel and immediately became the overnight singing sensation of Hannah Montana. Hannah is cast as a creative, humorous, clever young girl. She is always wearing appropriate clothing. She has a loving family. She is an icon for today's young girls. However, Miley Cyrus is not Hannah Montana. Miley is a maturing adolescent who wants to show the world how she is growing. She does not want to be stuck in the 'Hannah Montana' caste forever.
In 2008, Miley did a photoshoot for Vanity Fair and essentially just bared her back to the camera. She was aggressively attacked for this shoot. No one wanted to imagine the goofy Disney Channel singer to be a mature young woman. Even though she showed almost no skin, people were really upset and termed the shoot 'inappropriate' and 'evocative.' Almost any other woman doing a shoot with that amount of skin displayed would never have had the same reaction as with Miley Cyrus. Many people have permanently placed her in the role of an immature, unsexualized Hannah Montana who would never show skin. Thus, any amount of skin that Miley shows, even if its not the norm for what we call 'slutty,' is immediately criticized.
Photos were also leaked of Miley at some point kissing a girlfriend. People immediately again freaked out. Miley was criticized for having a 'lesbian sleepover.' Again, any normal adolescent girl probably has pictures of this sort. The public simply freaked out because it was the Hannah Montana actress and Hannah Montana would never act this way.
I agree with Maria about how it was unfair for everyone to criticize Miley for you photos, because she is a women and an individual free to do what ever. I do however understand some of the criticism she got for it because she is a roll-model for young girls and I'm sure their mothers don't want their daughter's ideal in vanity fair half naked.
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