Miley Cyrus Denies She's Racist

NEW YORK - Miley Cyrus is responding to criticism that she mocked Asians in a photograph of the tween star stretching the corners of her eyes.

"In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity!" Cyrus wrote Thursday in a posting on her official Web site. "I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? It seems someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me."

The photo, making the rounds online, shows the "Hannah Montana" star and five friends squinting their eyes into a slanted expression. An Asian man sits next to Cyrus, not participating in the group pose.

The OCA, a group dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well being of Asian Pacific Americans, criticized the 16-year-old star this week for setting "a terrible example for her many young fans" by "mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent."

In a statement, OCA executive director George Wu said the group hopes Cyrus will apologize to her fans.

"Well, (I'm) sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context!" Cyrus wrote.

Cyrus, who was 13 when she started in the role of Hannah on the Disney Channel show, said she thinks the ordeal would be overlooked if it was someone else and not her.

"I definitely feel like the press is trying to make me out as the new `BAD GIRL'!" she wrote. "I feel like now that Britney is back on top of her game again, they need someone to pick on! Lucky me!"

Phone and e-mail messages to Cyrus' representative were not immediately returned.

This is the latest image to get the tween role model in trouble.

Last April, several shots by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair sparked national outrage. The cover showed Cyrus, then 15, wrapped in a sheet with a bare back and shoulders.

Comments

[AN2009]

Jiechi Yang, China's foreign minister, refused to accept Miley Cyrus's pathetic excuse and stated that anything being sold or broadcast that is related to Cyrus would be banned in China. You got what you deserved, Miley...

[AN2009]

Miley Cyrus pulled her eyes back in a pose that has traditionally been meant to mock Asian people. It was a clearly insulting gesture. Like a true coward, she denied what she did and blamed other people: "I feel like now that Britney is back on top of her game again, they (the press) need someone to pick on. Lucky me! The press is trying to make me out as the new 'bad girl'!" The press told you to do this, Miley? At least come up with a better excuse.

[herocious]

I'm not sure what to think of this whole fiasco. Should a teenager be punished so harshly for slanting their eyes? Whatever the verdict, here's a post with more information on Miley Cyrus/Hanoi Montana as well as an aerial shot of her Hollywood manor:

http://theopenend.com/2009/02/10/miley-cyrus-asian-or-racist/

[luckigemini]

For all of you who keeps saying gimme a break,

THIS ISN'T A KITKAT COMMERICAL!

This is some serious racism! Of course I don't expect everyone to know what racism looks like when your forced fed media makes it exceptable for certain gestures to slide through as a joke. I have eyes like the asian kid in the pictures and so does my family. Actually my sister in law has eyes like Angelina Jolie, and no she isn't mixed! So it's unfair to me when people show that gestures to protray asains.

For all of you who keeps saying she's a teenager,

At 16 your able to drive. If you can be on the street driving with the rest of the world, you can give an authentic apology! At 16, you can get alcohol (not legally but you can get them) and tries to be an adult! I'm glad that this happens to her when she's only 16 because she still has the rest of her life to fix her mistake but apparently she doesn't want to. You make mistake and you learn from them. She doesn't want to learn! she doesn't even think what she did was wrong! Which causes her fans to thinks that there's nothing wrong with this gestures! There's nothing wrong with posing half nake. There's nothing wrong with going off with some 21 years old guy.

[quitworking]

My kids were exposed to this type of insult in the 60's when we lived in Long Island, New York. I am shocked and surprised that the same happened in 2009! Have we learned anything in the last 40 years? No wonder America has so many problems both at home and abroad.

Now that the world has changed: China is no longer your third world country; Asians are contributing to our country's welfare in every walk of life and we have a black president. We must learn to respect each other regardless of race in order to get this country back on track.

[vazzy13]

I finally saw the photo in question, and all I have to say to the morons who "broke" this story.....
GIVE ME A FREAKIN' BREAK!!!

I am far more concerned that all of the under age kids in the photo are clearly PLASTERED! In fact, there are only two girls in the photo, and I couldn't tell you which one is Miley. There's only two people who have their hands pulling on their eyes, the rest look like they're squinting, or just about to pass out from alcohol poisoning.

Here's the pic
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/music/international/2009/miley-cyrus-apologises-110209.html

[SColbert]

She was "simply making a goofy face"...and being Asian is goofy? I can't wait till this girl's 15 minutes of fame are over.

[AN2009]

I couldn't agree more.

[ECBA88]

Yes, this is obnoxious.

But I would be lying if I said none of the myspace friends I had in high school did stupid, vaguely racist crap like that.

Getting really angry about it is like admitting that Miley Cyrus's opinion about anything matters. What next, the Republican Congressional Caucus taking advice from Joe the Plumber?

Oh, wait...

[strangerinthenight]

But your friends are not pretending to be bible-holding-pretending-goodie-too-shoe, and are not being touted as "role model.

Big difference.

[Tommygun264]

This kid is more nauseating than Palin. She needs to go the way of Romney - out of sight and out of mind.

[strangerinthenight]

The perceptions that Asians are subservient, poor, unable to understand context are PURE MYTH. Any one can visit Ivy League Universities, and most prestigious Universities - there's robust Asian American students.

Check further the top 5 percentile, Asians are on the top of the Dean's List, check the Student Body, Asians are largely represented. And get this - of all colleged students, 97% of Asian Americans complete their curricula in 4 years; 40% of the general student population 5-6 years for a 4-year-program.

It gets better, according to the Labor Statistics, Asian Americans are the largest growing community with the HIGHEST PER CAPITA INCOME .

BUT YOU DONT FIND THEM BRAGGING. Cyrys - Quote : "Well, (I'm) sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context!" - translation : ASIANS lack of understanding or have no intellectual capacity to interpret mimicking the Asian eyes.

My college room mates, Minmin, Chinese American, and Mirzha, India-American. Both have razor blade minds, and are walking lap taps. I struggled hard to compete. They were always behind me, always encouraging me. They are the most polite, dedicated and unpretentious friends.

Minmin is now the Head of CDC AID R/D, while Mirzha is a NASA scientist.

I write this in defense of my best friends. I will not let an ignoramus bully like Cyrus makes fun of them. They deserve better.

[Oxonian2001]

I think one of the reasons why Miley's slanteye act and Rosie O'Donnell's "ching-chong" imitation still rankle so much is because Asians still face a great deal of racism--whether it's in the form of juvenile bullying or institutionalized discrimination.

And yes, both are intertwined. If youngsters pull their eyes up at Asians, they may or may not grow out of it. Some will become adults who learn it's not "nice" to make fun of minorities in public, but nonetheless retain all of their prejudices. Such would help explain why Asians, in spite of their high levels of education, are not only underrepresented in the corporate boardroom and the government, but believe it or not--also in the upper ranks of academe. We won't even mention the entertainment world. (Think about it: why aren't there any zero-talented Asian-American stars like Britney, Paris, Brad Pitt, or Miley herself?) Not to mention the fact that Asians are usually underpaid even when they are educated HERE in the US.

So maybe when Asians begin to be respected and appreciated like other Americans--Irish Americans, Italian-Americans, German-Americans, and yes African Americans (who still face a great deal of prejudice notwithstanding the recent election)--we might learn to "take a joke." Until then, learn to put up with our complaining about "silly" gestures and "goofy" faces.

[pieya]

Thank you, Oxonian2001!! I actually think those who have not experienced racism are the lucky ones to have the attitude that these gestures and seemingly "harmless" comments mean nothing. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. For other Asians who say it is not a big deal, I can also understand this attitude, because I was that way for a long time. It is tiring and tiresome to have to "police" everything people say and do, but if we do nothing and say nothing, that is a default acceptance of something that has no place in a progressive and changing society.

[DWGRadio]

I'm sorry, but I don't know of any rampant racism against Asians. Most people I know stereotype them as being honest, hardworking, and SMART. I am sure there is racism against Asians, and this is no doubt a tragedy. But overall, the Asian stereotype that I have always been aware of is one that we should all aspire to.

[Oxonian2001]

Racism against Asians is probably not as pronounced as say that for African and Latino-Americans. But it's still there all the same. Again, as I've pointed out, Asians are underrepresented in the boardroom and the more senior ranks of academe--especially the upper ranks (i.e., college/university president, chancellor, dean, etc.) And many of us are fed up with the perpetual foreigner stereotype--along with other stereotypes: that we don't speak English, are especially talented in math and science (LOL, just like blacks have "rhythm"), that we don't speak English ("Wow! You speak English really, really well!") and more disturbingly--that we are quiet and docile and won't speak up when mistreated. Enough is enough.

[SColbert]

You are referring to the model minority myth, which just hurts the Asian American community. This myth makes it seem like A.Americans have no issues (racism, economic issues, etc..). A stereotype is hurtful, good or bad.

[AN2009]

You're trying to justify an offensive gesture by citing a stereotype? Just because you don't think discrimination has been "rampant" doesn't make you right. Actually, all minorities in the US have suffered, not just blacks.

Since the 19th century, there have been many negative stereotypes of Asians. For example, Asian men have been stereotyped as being misogynistic and emasculated, and newspapers warned of the "Yellow Peril." Asians were not permitted by law to become citizens, own land, etc. for many years, and many were murdered by angry mobs for bogus charges.

Discrimination of Asians continued into the 20th century. For instance, FDR's administration wrongfully incarcerated Japanese-Americans in concentration camps during WWII. In the 1980s, two white men, who murdered Vincent Chin because they disliked the color of his skin, didn't even go to jail for this hate crime.

You've shown yourself to be completely ignorant and obviously have no credibility on the subject.

[Typhinee]

I understand that racial insensitivity is something we as a world of people should work on, but being so upset with a 16 year old over a childish action is kind of unrealistic. So should we all stop watching SNL, every Adam Sandler movie and any other media that is not racially acceptable, because I can guarantee everyone has been the culprit of stereotyping. We just don't warrant constant media attention. Acceptance and growth come from education and realistic expectations of people, especially young people caught doing immature facial expressions.

[IEFrontPorch]

I teach Japanese at a high school in 60 miles east of Los Angeles and one of my first cultural lessons is sensitivity to the portrayal of Asians- they're not all Chinese and just as we shouldn't assume they're all the same. I point out in our neck of the woods (or desert) we shouldn't assume a brown person is from Mexico. In a highly Latino populated school district, it's a no-brainer that students don't say "taco/burrito/enchilada" for what Spanish sounds like or talk about "beaners" and other pejorative terms. So what if we have a near 0% Asian population at my school- my students need to learn that their futures are most certainly East Asian related. Ms. Cyrus should quickly do some hokey make-up show with Disney Channel TV star Brenda Song (London) to mend her ways. Otherwise, she's an ignoramus in my professional teacher opinion.

[Takae]

Nicely said. Thank you. Yes, there is an unawareness from non-Asians about differences among Asians, but I think most of us can handle that general misunderstanding as long as it isn't maliciously intended or used as a factual generalization.

[BadgersBite]

That jus "ridicurous"

[pieya]

BadgersBite, it is, indeed, "ridicurous" that such stupidity abounds. And I hope your speech impediment improves. Best wishes.

[Oxonian2001]

Poor Badgersbite has an overbite coupled with an IQ of a badger so s/he can't communicate properly. Poor creature.

[Takae]

Engrish with Japanese accent? Nice.

Oh, I think that's your mother calling you. Run along now, little kid.

[tora]

I see her response as nothing but arrogance and not owning up to her actions. Here is 16 yrs old, bible carrying pop star dating a 21 yr old model, who frequently calls the paps to on a lazy Sunday to shoot them exiting their baptist church. She tries to be the squeaky perfect girl, aka Disney, but her behavior is full of contradictions.
Hey, people make mistakes, unfortunately she has yet to take any responsibility for them, "hey You'all, I'm only a teenager". Instead she's creative enough to act like a victim and bring Britney Spears into the throw down..... sad day for Disney.

[duchamp2008]

She'll be with child soon enough, like the Palin daughter. The only positive thing I can say about her is that at least she didn't inherit Daddy's mullet.