OpEd: Miley Cyrus’ Elle Shoot: Over The Top Or Get Over It?

Posted by Jeanne Sage; Source: Babble Australia

Another set of Miley Cyrus photos. Another scandal. But is the teen queen’s new photo shoot in Elle Magazine really too racy for teens?

A post over at Buzzfeed this week challenged Hannah Montana’s alter ego for “showing cleavage, wearing hooker boots (?) and posing questionably on tables.” The comments followed from folks joking that she may well turn out to BE a hooker if she continues dressing like that.

Let’s step back a minute and ignore the Vanity Fair brouhaha of 2008. She was nekkid then, and it was gross for a 15-year-old. Now she’s 16 and fully clothed… and still no one’s satisfied? Because she’s wearing high-heeled boots and has boobs?

A little perspective here. Have you gone to a concert and seen what most of the teen girls are wearing? Thigh-high boots, which may be the most uncomfortable things on the planet in my shlubby mum-garbed opinion, are everywhere. Ditto a little bit of cleavage - thanks to summery tank tops. As for lying on tables, have you seen teenage PDAs lately? Actually, I take that back… have you seen teenage PDAs ever? At 16, I was sitting on my boyfriend’s lap, cuddling up against him, kissing him, hugging him — doing anything and everything we could get away with in public.

The tagline on the front cover of Elle says Miley’s talking about dad, boyfriends and why she’s not a kid anymore. Which seems to be the big issue with child stars - no one wants to let them grow up. Among the comments on the Buzzfeed article are reminders that Disney is going to drop her if she gets too grown up.

But doesn’t she have to move past the Disney era at some point? She’s 16, and the cutesy going to school, living a double tween life thing is not going to work for her much longer. Why? Because she’s not a tween anymore. She’s a teenager, two years from adulthood. Two long years, but still, two crucial years when kids really begin to let go of childhood preferences and fashion their adult skin.

It’s a time when they try out unfortunate wardrobe choices and begin testing sexual limits, including how MUCH to show in public. Only most kids do it in their hometowns with only their parents, family and friends watching. Miley Cyrus is doing it with the world watching.

And like it or not, she’s still going to grow up.

Image: Elle via Popeater