Why slut-shaming Miley needs to stop (now)

There comes a point in every young Disney star’s life where the pressure from Mickey gets to be too much, where the ghost of Walt possesses them and they feel the need to “break out of their shell.”

We saw it with Britney, we saw it with Lindsay. We’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again. But for right now? Right now, we’re seeing it with Miley.

Just in recent memory, we’ve seen her twerking on stage at the VMAs, we’ve seen her naked on top of a wrecking ball, and we’ve seen her seductively licking a sledgehammer. And – perhaps most of all – we’ve seen her in the media. In social media, and in traditional forms of media, it seems that people can’t stop talking about Miley bein’ Miley.

While yes, it is true that she is opening herself to public critique and attention by performing, making music and not avoiding the attention her celebrity draws, there is an extent to which society needs to draw the line on its critiques and realize when they’re crossing a line.

Saying that Miley is “obviously deeply troubled and deeply disturbed” and “probably has an eating disorder” following her VMA performance is unacceptable. Making a comment that Miley has “won the race to the bottom of the sleaze barrel” is uncalled for. Enough is enough.

The VMA performance, to be fair, was extreme in its shock value. It pushed boundaries and “made history,” as Miley herself pointed out. But isn’t that what art and music have always been about? Just because people may be confused about the avenue she’s taking or don’t agree with what she wears (or doesn’t wear) should not invite the type of critique she has been receiving.

Her lack of clothing is not – and should not – be treated as an attack on our moral fiber. And besides, did everyone else miss that Lady Gaga was wearing two clam shell boob covers and a seashell thong? If we’re talking about scandalous clothing, the argument should not start and end with Cyrus.

Society needs to realize that she’s 20 years old. If her life were average, she would probably be enrolled at college right now, experimenting with drugs or having casual sex – leading what we see as a normal life.

Instead, she’s been forced to find her identity and to define herself on a public stage. Desperately, she wants to escape the Hannah Montana blanket that has surrounded her. She wants to be artistic, to push boundaries, to live up to expectations set by previous artist and pop stars. So when a director approaches her and says “Hey, how about you sit on a wrecking ball naked” why would she say no?

To be quite frank, if the next generation model themselves off of current pop culture, we probably have much more to be concerned about. And if our character as a society is measured by the quality of our celebrity’s character, there are a few more pressing issues on our hands.

The fact of the matter is Miley wants us to talk about her. And she’s succeeding.

But while we’re talking about her, how about we make it constructive? Start a conversation with your friends. Tell them that no matter what, you’ll never love them less if they express themselves differently than other people.

And also, while you’re at it, how about you remind each other that the clothes a woman wears, the number of sexual partners she has, and the way she presents herself is completely irrelevant to how intelligent, talented, strong or deserving of love she is.