From the Vanity Fair website, captioned "Father and Daughter"
Posted on 04/30/2008 4:13:14 AM PDT by fweingart
What is the leading breeding ground for tomorrow's role models of degradation and promiscuity? The Disney Channel. On Monday, news broke that Vanity Fair was planning on running "discreet" and "artistic" photos from a topless shoot with pre-teen and tween hero Miley Cyrus. The photos include a shot of Cyrus, barebacked, clutching a sheet to her bosom -- a shot no less pedophilic than the infamous Brooke Shields jeans ads of 1980.
Miley Cyrus is the most popular act in the country. Her 3-D concert film from her tour, "Best of Both Worlds," took in an astounding $31.3 million in its opening weekend. Her show, "Hannah Montana," is a megahit. In 2007, Cyrus reportedly earned $18.5 million.
Cyrus' fan base is largely young girls, who sell out her concerts, buy her clothing line, and sit rapt before their televisions. Now, they're being taught by a teen superstar, her father, and a willing media, that inappropriate behavior is no barrier to happiness or satisfaction.
As I wrote in my second book, "Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism Is Corrupting Our Future," Cyrus is hardly the first pop tart to make the transition from clean-cut role model to promiscuous party girl. And the vast majority of such characters spring from the geniuses at Disney Channel. Britney "Disaster Area" Spears was a Mickey Mouse Club girl before she morphed into the paradigm of personal pandemonium. So was Spears' former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, the man who would later be responsible for the term "wardrobe malfunction." So was Christina "Xtina" Aguilera, who sang the theme song for "Mulan" before deciding to get "Dirrty." Lindsay Lohan was wholesome twins Hallie and Annie in "The Parent Trap" before she decided to reveal her twins in the name of art. Hilary Duff was the star of "Lizzie McGuire" before, at age 16, she began dating rocker Joel Madden, age 24; she shortly thereafter denied that she had claimed that she was a virgin, stating, "Whose business is that?"
These are clearly young women without a moral foundation -- and without responsible parents. The creepiest photo from the Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair shoot wasn't her bed sheet pose -- it was a shot of her, midriff bare, leaning lazily back on her dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy Ray sure ain't Ward Cleaver.
These pop tarts would also seem to be without direction, celebrities-too-young overwhelmed by the glamour and fame of stardom. In reality, however, promiscuous behavior and provocative poses are calculated career moves for teen stars seeking to break into out of the 10-16 age group and into the mainstream entertainment business.
When Aguilera decided to pose for the cover of her album "Stripped," wearing nothing from the waist up, she explained, "I guess I've grown up in a lot of ways." When Spears posed for Rolling Stone in her nighties at age 17, she stated, "it was Rolling Stone and it has an adult audience. The photographer explained to me what he wanted to do and I was cool about it." When Lindsay Lohan turned 18, she, too, posed for the cover of Rolling Stone. The headline read: "Hot, Ready and Legal!" Rolling Stone observed, "There comes a time in the life of every teenage girl who works for the Disney Corp. when that girl realizes she has suddenly -- how shall we phrase this? -- 'broadened her appeal.'"
Miley Cyrus, then, is following a long line of similarly minded Disney stars in her salacious strategy. Not surprisingly, Vanity Fair observed of her photo shoot that "though the pose was Annie Leibovitz's idea, the topless but demure portrait accompanying this article could be seen as another baby step, as it were, toward a more mature profile."
Here's the big question: does Miley Cyrus really need to descend to the gutter to raise her profile? She's immensely successful, and she can remain immensely successful by continuing to appeal to younger audiences.
Yet, in all likelihood, she will follow the path paved by the Spears/Aguilera/Lohan/Duff brigade. She will do so because Hollywood and the mainstream media propagate the idea that R-rated material sells better than G-rated material, and that mature entertainment must involve sex. To be taken seriously as artists, Disney Channel queens must become Independent Film Channel queens -- or at the very least, Rolling Stone icons.
In the end, no matter how "legitimate" an artist Miley Cyrus becomes, she will never be able to regain her innocence. Neither will the legions of young girls who admiringly follow her example.
Yeeee, People would think my daughters were tarts.
I have a picture almost exactly like that of my hubby and younger daughter! Only my girl is looking in the same direction as Daddy.
They adore each other and nothing is sexual.
I have a picture of myself and my Dad when we were on vacation and I crawled into bed at a hotel to watch tv with him. We were spooning, snuggled up against him and his arm around me watching the tube. Mom took it because she thought we looked cute.
I miss him. Gone with Our Lord for 25 years now.
we like james marsden too, but more from his role in 27 dresses than Enchanted. LOVE him and his conservatism and marital longevity!
I'm on the fence about that one. They aren't looking at each other... but his hand.
I don't know...
In any case they are sure preparing her for her first Playboy shoot at 18.
I don't let my sons watch her. It's such blatant commercialism that I can't stomach it.
I’m watching “27 Dresses” right now.
Can’t help but love a guy who will admit that he didn’t date when he came to Hollywood because “the girls were all so liberal”
YES!
Okay, I don't reall see anything wrong with that pic.
However, not knowing it's father and daughter would sure make you think otherwise.
From the Vanity Fair website, captioned "Father and Daughter"
>>... but his hand.<<
I thought the same thing, but that hand on her thigh is her own. Follow her arm.
He is leaning on his left hand.
And it’s no more blatant commercialism than “Bob the Builder” or “Backyardagans” just for older kids.
they are very close. the oldest is coming home from college in just 2 weeks, we can’t wait. my son is 16, but NOT into the jonas bros, he would not be caught dead with his little sister anywhere either. he’d go with his older sister though, bc she’s “cool.”
That’s very sweet!
It isn’t a mattter of how much skin she is or isn’t showing, it is the matter of offering up a teenaged girl as a sexual fantasy that is the problem, pandering to pedophiles.
Yeah, but Bob the Builder is a cartoon. When he acts badly no one notices. She's not really all that talented and her "music" is basically just noise. That's my point. They are commercializing mediocre talent.
Ah the old "what do I have to do to get out of this crap" ploy. Haven't seen that used since Jessica Biel/7th Heaven"
>>She’s not really all that talented and her “music” is basically just noise.<<
You sound like your parents.
Dang Right!
The perfect country & western song!
Really? My parents let us listen to whatever we wanted. And, they played classical music for us. They also wanted us to watch musicals.
My sons love musicals and all kinds of music.
Hannah Montana is a market product trying to live up to its billing. She falls short. I could not let my sons support that low level of talent.
Annie L may well be a great photographer but she took innapropriate liberties with this 15 year old. I think she took this shot knowing full well the firestorm she could create in fly-over country. That said, Billy Ray should have known better as well.
Yup! :-)
>>Hannah Montana is a market product trying to live up to its billing. She falls short. <<
It’s pop music. It’s always falls short of brilliant.
But it’s fun and happy. Great workout music!
I’m glad your sons love musicals and all kinds of music. But let’s face it, their taste may not be yours. And I’d rather my girls listen to Miley than rap.
The point of the article is that Cyrus is at the top of a downward spiral, and is following in the steps of the trashy women (Spears, Lohan...) who came before. So one of the next steps is Playboy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.