Hannah Montana was kind of my role model growing up. I mean, a young schoolgirl who wears a wig to become a singing sensation? Hell yes. To the 12 year-old me, Miley Cyrus saying she didn’t like Hannah Montana made her problematic. However, the more woke and mature me (the 18 year-old one) has other problems with her.
After her VMA appearance in 2015, I lost all respect for Miley. And no, I’m not talking about the outfits she wore (although they were complete fashion disasters in my book). It was her hair. Miley thought that she was being fashionable sporting dreadlocks. She wore a high ponytail that swirled down into dreadlocks. She took a significant part of African American culture and turned it into a fashion statement. To add to that, she was praised for doing the same thing that a black person was mocked for. Remember Zendaya’s Oscar outfit and the comments she got from so-called fashion gurus who thought her dreadlocks smelled like “weed”? Yet, Miley was praised for her “cool and hip” hairdo.
Additionally, Miley is now synonymous with twerking. Movements that are a part of twerking are very similar to many West African dances, especially the Mapouka which finds it origins in Cote d’Ivoire. Not only does Miley not know/not acknowledge this information, she turned a traditional dance form into something sexy, which makes people automatically see it in a derogatory light. Miley’s fans, however, don’t see a problem with it, which also creates another problem. Once again, Miley Cyrus is praised for something that black people are looked down upon for. There are many other instances where Miley has worn bindis and turned a very important part of South Asian, and more specifically Hindu traditions, into a fashion accessory as well. She also has an Om, Nazar and Sugar Skull tattoos, all of which appropriate various different cultures.
Of course, one can argue that Miley can’t be held accountable because she is getting praise for her dreadlocks or twerking. But as a role model and celebrity that people, especially children, look up to, Miley should know better. She should know that her wearing dreadlocks or a bindi and twerking on stage isn’t right. Not only is she, as a white person, appropriating other cultures, but she is also telling all her fans that it is okay to do so. We are finally at a time when we are talking about minorities, and having open discussions about cultural appropriation and the problems associated with it—but celebrities like Miley Cyrus put us back by years. Their acts make it seem like the problems of people of color aren’t important and that our cultures aren’t worth being respected.