I go to MSN.com everyday to get an update on the news. Normally their rotating front page stories include some sort of breaking news, a feature, and an update on a continuing story. Today it featured a two part argument breaking down the question of whether or not Miley Cyrus is a role model. Why is Miley's status as a role model front page website worthy? Is her name so powerful that it induces massive increases in hit counts and thus warrants the attention? I don't doubt that for a second. I know for a fact that stories I post on this blog pertaining to the tween queen get significantly more hits than those that do not. I don't post on Miley Cyrus because she is one of my favorite people (at this point I'm getting rather sick of the starlet), I post on her because whether I like it or not she continually makes the news.
The argument as to whether or not Miley is a role model is borderline ridiculous. There is not doubt she is a role model. If she weren't then millions of tween girls wouldn't be sporting "Hannah Montana" apparel on a daily basis. If she weren't a role model then there wouldn't be an audience or a need for the sixteen year old to write an autobiography. And, most importantly, if she weren't a role model then the topic wouldn't be debatable.
The real question MSN was posing wasn't whether or not Miley Cyrus IS a role model, but rather if she's a Good role model. To this I also feel the answer is clear: Hell yes. Compare Cyrus to the other tween queens and their track records and I bet that most parents would clearly choose Cyrus as a model for their children than any of the other options. Lindsay Lohan equals disaster. Hilary Duff was great during her time, but she's a Disney has been and thus is irrelevant to the current generation. Selena Gomez is another great option for the youth of today, but she doesn't permeate society in nearly the same way (yet).
Cyrus has undoubtedly made mistakes, but so has every other person on the planet. Her mistakes have actually made her MORE appealing as a role model. She makes them, she admits them, and generally she learns something from them (it sounds like an episode of "Hannah Montana" doesn't it?). She has a great relationship with her family. She is openly religious and has talked about her choice to remain abstinent until marriage. Miley Cyrus admits to her insecurities and opens up about the pressures to look and act a certain way. She can sit down and have an adult conversation with people like Barbara Walters one day, and the next appear on a Disney 365 segment where she just as easily relates to kids her own age.
I'm passionate about this topic because I have seen first hand Miley's effect on kids. The only reason I have ever watched "Hannah Montana" is because I have babysat for a number of kids who can't get enough of the show. These are kids who, in their everyday conversation, use Hannah or Miley references to explain situations occurring in their own lives. The parents of these kids have used Miley's faults to open up important dialogues with their kids. Good things have come out of the this Disney multimedia machine, and in an age of cable television where sex, drugs, and violence are the norm on TV it's nice to see kids have a series they can relate to that doesn't contain all those things.
The argument as to whether or not Miley is a role model is borderline ridiculous. There is not doubt she is a role model. If she weren't then millions of tween girls wouldn't be sporting "Hannah Montana" apparel on a daily basis. If she weren't a role model then there wouldn't be an audience or a need for the sixteen year old to write an autobiography. And, most importantly, if she weren't a role model then the topic wouldn't be debatable.
The real question MSN was posing wasn't whether or not Miley Cyrus IS a role model, but rather if she's a Good role model. To this I also feel the answer is clear: Hell yes. Compare Cyrus to the other tween queens and their track records and I bet that most parents would clearly choose Cyrus as a model for their children than any of the other options. Lindsay Lohan equals disaster. Hilary Duff was great during her time, but she's a Disney has been and thus is irrelevant to the current generation. Selena Gomez is another great option for the youth of today, but she doesn't permeate society in nearly the same way (yet).
Cyrus has undoubtedly made mistakes, but so has every other person on the planet. Her mistakes have actually made her MORE appealing as a role model. She makes them, she admits them, and generally she learns something from them (it sounds like an episode of "Hannah Montana" doesn't it?). She has a great relationship with her family. She is openly religious and has talked about her choice to remain abstinent until marriage. Miley Cyrus admits to her insecurities and opens up about the pressures to look and act a certain way. She can sit down and have an adult conversation with people like Barbara Walters one day, and the next appear on a Disney 365 segment where she just as easily relates to kids her own age.
I'm passionate about this topic because I have seen first hand Miley's effect on kids. The only reason I have ever watched "Hannah Montana" is because I have babysat for a number of kids who can't get enough of the show. These are kids who, in their everyday conversation, use Hannah or Miley references to explain situations occurring in their own lives. The parents of these kids have used Miley's faults to open up important dialogues with their kids. Good things have come out of the this Disney multimedia machine, and in an age of cable television where sex, drugs, and violence are the norm on TV it's nice to see kids have a series they can relate to that doesn't contain all those things.
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1 comment:
Miley Cyrus is done, everybody will forget she soon or later due her crappy performances.
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