Aside from her latest media appearances, I can think of two things about Miley that get the most hype: the (underage) sexualized images of her all over the place, and her hairstyles. So which one's the culprit making her so unlikeable? And is it really worth paying any attention?
I'm sick of the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus, and I'm sure you are too. She's 15 and the daughter of country music singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus and is well known for her role in Disney's Hannah Montana, from which she released several soundtracks. She's done a bunch of other stuff too; wholesome stuff like benefit concerts; she's topped the charts in Australia; she's won a Teen Choice Award; and she's sung on TV in the UK. I feel a bit sorry for her though, being so young and having to deal with that kind of fanfare.
Miley's probably best known because of all the risqué photography of her constantly turning up around the place- that combined with the fact that she's not even "legal." She's got a great track record of appearing in bikini and bathroom pics; and then there's that Vanity Fair photo shoot by Annie Leibovitz in which Miley is scantily clad at one particular moment, with her top half only partially covered by a sheet.
Miley's got squillions of dollars and massive fame and notoriety. And she seems to like posing semi-nude. But regardless of this fame, there's a bunch of people out there rating her as severely dislikeable. So is it tall poppy syndrome? Or is it the photos? Over 4,000,000 people searched for Miley Cyrus on Google last month, were they all looking for photo evidence to prove their opinion that she's a "promiscuous tween"?
Or is it her hair? There's always a lot of talk in online media about Miley Cyrus hairstyles. Do people dislike her because of her hairstyles? I don't think so. I know, I know, last month I reported on the MTV Awards and suggested that Miley's wavy hairstyle was all wrong because it made her look like she was trying to be seductive, but since then I've changed my mind. (I think it probably had something to do with the amount or emails I had telling me how wrong I was.) Now I'm sold on how it always looks so healthy and glossy with lots of shine; and I think she's got a great ability to choose hair color that suits her complexion. Curls don't have to be about seductiveness and sexiness either- on Miley they're quite cute and "girly."
Maybe a few people think her hair's too old for her kiddie age group, but not most. So it must be the other stuff making people dislike her- the Miley Cyrus pictures and all that hype. There's a bunch of people out there thinking Miley's trying to grow up too fast. They think that the sexualized images of her are all wrong. But more than that, I read somewhere the opinion that people just can't relate to Miley because of her sudden rise to extreme fame and wealth, and this is kind of ironic given the popularity of Hannah Montana and the fact that she pretty much plays herself in that show.
For me though, I think it's worth paying attention to the controversy surrounding Miley Cyrus because it all boils down to showing how easily people cast judgement. And you don't have to be a celebrity to be on the receiving end of it either. One look, most of the time, is all it takes for someone to decide something about you. Like I pointed out earlier too, Miley demonstrates the huge role played by your hair in your image. Miley Cyrus, then, is a lesson in controversy, but also a lesson in image- and at a bit of a stretch- a lesson in how you can control your own image (starting with your hair).
