Miley, Miley, Miley… her drastic transformation from America’s little sweetheart to America’s little sexpot seems to be all we’re hearing about lately. Miley has, as she likes to call them, countless “haterz” and “smilerz” alike. From her jaw-dropping VMA performance with Robin Thicke,
to her risqué video for the song “Wrecking Ball,”
Miley has definitely given us something to talk about. And although she’s gotten equally as much negative criticism as positive praise lately, Miley is truly embracing her industry’s famous line: No publicity is bad publicity. When asked by Matt Lauer in an interview for the Today Show last week if her controversial VMA performance went as planned, Miley responded, “It went exactly as planned. I mean, it’s a month later and we’re still talking about it.” Say what you will about Miley, but you can’t argue with that.
You also can’t argue with her stats: the first single from her recently released album – “We Can’t Stop” – reached the number two spot on the Billboard Hot 100, and the second, “Wrecking Ball” hit number one. Her album “Bangerz” was released October 8th and was the #1 album on iTunes on the 7th 10 minutes before it even hit midnight… leave it to Miley! It’s also predicted to snag number one spot in next week’s Billboard 200 chart.
But what with all the cheek-revealing twerking,
sledgehammer licking,
and drug referencing in a more than one of her songs…
many of us can’t help but wonder if she’s gone just a tad overboard on it all. Yes, Miley may have offended a few conservatives and concerned a few parents along the way, but the tremendous success she’s achieved in the last few months would truly not have been possible without capturing, no, demanding her audience’s attention. She did what she had to do to break free of her former innocent Disney Channel child star image and prove herself as a legitimate artist. Miley actually told viewers when she guest-hosted SNL last week that “I’m not gonna do Hannah Montana tonight but I can give you an update on what she’s been up to – she was murdered.”
So sadly, the days of our beloved, “Best of Both Worlds” star are over (although I am hoping her gorgeous long brown locks make an eventual comeback). But I for one am a huge fan of the bold new Miley she’s become. While many call what she’s doing lately “going crazy,” I prefer to view it as “testing the limits,” and isn’t that what pop culture is all about? Whether or not you like what Miley is doing lately, she’s clearly gained enough fame and fortune to keep doing it for a while. And besides, she already told you, she won’t stop.