What happened to Hannah Montana? As a 13-year-old girl, I have to say I miss Miley Cyrus' Disney days. Miley's performance at the Video Music Awards last night made me realize those days are long gone. But I have to wonder what happened during them or since them that prompted the twerking in a nude-colored bra with a bunch of bears on stage last night.
I have to cut her a break on the twerking. She is, after all, the twerking queen. And, who doesn't love a twerk or two (much to my dad's dismay). And it wasn't really even Miley's tongue front and center that bothered me; you don't have to look any farther than my own Instagram page to see that that's a pretty popular (although unattractive) look with teenagers.
It was the whole performance and that styrofoam finger and the gestures that went with it that truly caught my attention. Unfortunately, it wasn't only my attention: I was watching the VMAs with my 11-year-old brother and mother and I felt slightly embarrassed. People could say that maybe my younger brother and I shouldn't have been allowed to watch the VMAs; it does have a history of shocking performances, but music and videos are a huge part of tweens and teenagers' lives.
And so is Miley. Miley is one the most successful stars to ever come out of the Disney franchise. Her and her character, Hannah Montana, were the envy of millions of girls around the world. Miley went on to more TV shows, movies, merchandising and music. Last night, Miley was nominated for four VMAs, tied for the second most nominations with Robin Thicke and Bruno Mars.
I guess I need to separate fact from fiction here. The fact is that Miley Cyrus is an entertainer, a performer and she has a job to do. Her job is to build her brand, showcase her talents and sell her music. If it's attention she needs to be successful as a performer then she's doing a pretty good job at it -- she stole the show last night. Miley's brand is not for everybody, and I do know being sexy is definitely not a requirement for success.
Hannah Montana figures into the fiction part of all this. Hannah Montana is the wholesome character that Disney created and that me and millions of other girls are still hanging onto. Hannah Montana is in no rush to grow up and neither am I.
I bet she's not a very good twerker either.
Peace Love Profits,
Blake