People are up in arms about this Miley Cyrus situation (I know I’m way behind the times and the VMA’s are totally last month, but it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say so get off my back). Also, if you’re my mother or someone living under a media rock (Rachel) the performance I’ll be referring to periodically is Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop from the 2013 VMA’s. You can google it.
There are passionate and justifiable arguments on every side of this thing, but I’m going to reduce it down to two sides. One side says: her performance was completely inappropriate and shouldn’t have been televised. The other side says: Miley (we’re going first name basis here) is being slut-shamed and the men (Robin Thicke) involved in the performance aren’t being criticized at all.
Let me start by saying slut-shaming sucks. Stop doing it. There is truly a double standard in the media (and the Church!) that holds women to an unattainable level of “purity” while men are expected to slip up and be generally lustful. The Church just says, “it’s their cross to bear” and the media says, “boys will be boys”. Both are wrong and contribute to a misogynistic culture that enforces patriarchy and the subjugation of women by a constant comparison to a fantastical ideal.
Let’s get back to Miley. Her performance certainly wasn’t my taste and I didn’t find it very tasteful in any respect, but I also agree that she has gotten a lot of heat while everyone else hid in the background. I read a BuzzFeed article that pointed out there is a precedent for teen idols (e.g. Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera) using the VMA’s as a platform to launch their “adult” careers. So, let’s operate under the assumption that Miley did this performance to show that she is a mature independent woman and not a teen Disney star. My real issue comes into play here.
Miley (and plenty of other young women) equate maturity to sexuality. In order to be taken seriously as a strong, mature, independent woman Miley had to prove her sexual prowess. This is the problem. It is not (in itself) that she danced half naked onstage, it’s that she felt like she had to. It's important that you understand the distinction here, so ruminate on it for a second.
This is not a new phenomenon. Famous women who gained their celebrity as children or teenagers often have an overtly sexualized “coming out” moment from child/teen star to full fledged adult star. Look at Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens in Spring Breakers or Drew Barrymore posing naked for Playboy. Why do women literally have to show physical evidence of their sexual maturity before they can be taken seriously? Men do not share the same burden of proof. Justin Timberlake brought sexy back fully clothed and Joseph Gordon Levitt went from nerdy teen to Hollywood dreamboat in a sweater vest and skinny tie.
We need to do something about this. Young women should not feel pressure to be sexually explicit in their quest for maturity. So, let’s take a (metaphorical) peek at some women who took the ever difficult step out of the proverbial Disney closet fully clothed.
Abigal Breslin is still young so I suppose there’s still time for her to bare her goodies onscreen. But even if she does, she proved her maturity (and acting chops) with Zombieland in which she stayed fully clothed and fought off the undead like the rockstar that she is.
Chloe Grace Moretz. Did I just include her because I think she’s spectacular? No, she belongs on this list (but also, she's spectacular). Like Abigail Breslin, she’s still young (and a sexual maturity argument could be made for Hick), but Kick Ass came out first and that really marked her transition. She played a fierce, wise, mature, and (appropriately) kick ass girl.
So...what do these ladies have in common? Patience, talent, and wisdom. For Mayim Bialik it was fifteen years between Blossom and The Big Bang Theory. A sexually explicit “coming out” is certainly quicker, but may not have the staying power of a smart measured move like these women. No one can (or does) question the talent these women possess, but people question Miley’s talent pretty much everyday. Finally, all these women made smart choices in their careers. They were specific and intentional about the roles that set them apart from a persona they wanted to leave behind. They set themselves up for success because they proved that their celebrity wasn’t won with their bodies but with their brains and their hard work.
People were talking smack about Miley long before she danced with giant teddy bears in a tan bikini. They said she wasn’t a good musician, and she proved them right. She took off her clothes and told them, “this is all I’m worth”.
So, how can we expand this to young women who aren’t famous singers or actors? Be patient, be good, and be wise. Doing something the right way takes longer, but it reaps better results. Steve Martin's advice is, "Be so good they can't ignore you". Do what you’re good at and you won’t need to resort to cheap tricks. Make good decisions that will last. Don’t build your life on things that you’ll lose.
Oh, and get your PhD in neuroscience so you'll have something to fall back on.