Out of character
I’ve been mulling over the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana/Vanity Fair brouhaha, trying to figure out why I’m more bothered by the vehemence in many of the opinions being voiced than by the photo itself.
I’ll admit that I don’t know much about Miley Cyrus or the character Hannah Montana, but I think the key word here is “character”. Hannah is a character played by Miley, even when she’s onstage. Miley is not Hannah, just like other actors and actresses are not the characters whom they play.
It may sound simplistic, but I think that’s an important point to emphasize to kids. We already tell them that monsters aren’t real, that they shouldn’t believe everything they see in commercials, and that princesses are a creation of Disney. Why not tell them that Hannah Montana is a Disney creation too? We may allow our pre-schoolers to believe that a talking purple dinosaur really exists and that a group of four singing Aussies all have the last name “Wiggle”, but tweens ought to learn to separate fact from fiction.
But even if tweens understand that Hannah Montana is a character and Miley Cyrus is a person, is it fair to expect that because Hannah is admired by tweens, Miley should be held to a higher standard of behavior?
In theory, yes. As long as Miley wants to continue playing the part of Hannah Montana, it’s in her job preservation interests to, well, play the part – both onstage and off. But only if she wants to hang onto the role, not because she owes it to her fans. She’s free to pursue other opportunities (within the terms of her contract, of course). Likewise, her fans are free to abandon her – or their parents are free to shut off the TV.
But regardless of what course Miley wants to pursue, she’s not ethically bound to emulate her squeaky clean character so as not to confuse or disappoint her young fans. It’s the responsibility of those young fans’ parents to clarify that Hannah is a character, and Miley is a person – a young woman, just like they’ll be someday. A young woman who faces many of the same uncertainties that they do, and who, due to her circumstances, may make some decisions that wouldn’t be right for them.
Decisions that would be out of character, for them – and for Hannah Montana.
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Yet another primary day is here – can Obama pull white working-class voters away from Clinton? Why or why not?
May 6th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I agree that as a parent I am responsible for teaching my children that Hannah Montana is a character.
I am also responsible for teaching my children that 15 is an inappropriate age (by any stretch of the imagination) to have photos taken in a suggestive pose.
The body is beautiful, yes.
Fifteen year olds are KIDS.
I don’t care if she’s Miley, Hannah, or the girl down the street. My disappointment is in the parents that would let their daughter be photographed in a way that suggests sex, in Miley for trying to grow up too fast, and in Vanity Fair for using this 15 year old to sell magazines. And they are using her, but then I think she is probably using them too.
All the way around, it is very disappointing.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:33 am
I agree with OMSH. The good sense that a parent should have–and many people have expressed–was obviously absent with all the adults at the photo shoot. My opinion is that they are all caught up in the glory and ease of gratification their situation affords them.
I want to point out, though, that Miley Cyrus also plays herself on the Hannah Montana show. It’s fairly easy to tell an 8yo that Hannah is a character, but it’s harder to explain why Miley in real life is different from Miley on TV.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:51 am
OMSH – I agree that it’s a decision that neither you nor I would allow our kids to make. But there are examples being set every day that we don’t want our kids to follow. I think parents ought to use them as a teaching tool (to whatever degree of detail is appropriate for their kids), instead of debating among themselves the finer points of who was wrong and why.
May 6th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I have to say I’m amazed at the amount of attention Miley has generated over this photo spread. I tend to agree with you that Miley is “playing” Hannah Montana and they are not one and the same. I also agree that she is 15 and the photos are of questionable nature for that age. However, we are not her parents and we don’t get to make decisions for her. We as parents get upset when other people question our decisions for our own children so what right do we have in return to question her parents. If a person truly has a problem with the photos then do not add to the media frenzy surrounding them. Don’t look at them, don’t comment on them and don’t show them to your child(ren). If there is no reaction, there is no story.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Neda Ann – That is much the same view I take on all celebrity coverage, particularly of the more sensational variety.
Chilihead – Thanks for the clarification regarding Miley/Hannah on the show. I still think it’s a good teaching opportunity, although an eight year-old will require a modified explanation.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’ve stayed out of it for the same reason you have. Also because I don’t really give a shit either way. It’s not like she posed in Maxim.
She may not be ethically bound, but she may be legally bound – most stars like that, particularly for Disney, have stringent “morals clauses” in their contracts. I doubt this crossed the line but I’m sure it pushed it.
What bothers me most is all the people saying she was taken advantage by a big mean pushy media machine while her parents stepped out for a sec. Last I checked, she’s a media savvy 15 year old with a super media savvy family. No chance in hell this one just slipped by them. It’s a brilliant career move as she moves onto the next phase in hers.
Ugh, see what you did? You got me started. How do you do that?
May 6th, 2008 at 8:20 am
I’ve stayed out of it, too, mostly because my little HM fan is blissfully unaware.
But OMSH’s point about mutual using is important.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:23 am
It just baffles me that this is a top news story (and has been for over a week!) when there are so many MUCH more important things going on in the world.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:38 am
Mayberry – Mutual using, or mutually beneficial? I’m also betting that most of the youngest fans are unaware. But I’d still be willing to give Tacy a cursory explanation if she asked.
Alison – Agreed; this is not normally something I’d take up.
May 6th, 2008 at 8:49 am
personally, i try to stay as far away from all things disney as possible.
that said, i was more bothered by the pics of her and papa dearest together than the one of her alone. there was just something incest-creepy about them. at least, i wouldn’t pose like that with my dad, no matter how famous his mullet was.
May 6th, 2008 at 9:01 am
I think it’s realistic that tweens should understand that Hannah is a character, Miley is a girl. Even my six year old can grasp that.
I always feel bad for the next Disney hit. They seem to completely go all out with certain tweens, make them the next best thing, bring them more fame than they could ask for and then drop them once they make a mistake. I think part of it is the girls (happened with Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff ect) get fame so fast, they can’t handle the pressure. I can only hope that Miley doesn’t end up like her processors!
May 6th, 2008 at 10:51 am
For me, it’s not about her being a role model. It’s about VF telling the adult world that it’s okay to stare at the naked body of a 15 year old CHILD.
One more year and she’ll be 16 and legal in most states. Couldn’t the Cyrus family have waited?
May 6th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Lisse, interesting point about the difference between 15 and 16 – yes, there’s a legal difference, but a psychological one too, for many people.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be constantly submerged in the life of a celebrity of that magnitude, let alone what it would be like to attempt to parent one of them.
I know that is what they all signed up for, but talk about living under a magnifying glass.
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May 6th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
I wrote something similar to your post in the comments of someone elses post. I agree with you on this.
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May 6th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Are there worse things that she could do? Absolutely. Does it make me cringe? Absolutely.
The truth is no matter how “artsy” it is, to me and to most of the world, the picture is inherently sexual. That’s not to say that 15 year olds aren’t inherently sexual beings, exploring all that sexual goodness on their very own.
But I think our senses have really been dulled when it comes to all this. I don’t love my daughter wearing short skirts — she wears bermuda shorts and shorts under her dresses. I don’t think it’s great for 15 year olds to be bouncing around in tiny bikinis. But when it’s all around you, I think many people get used to it.
I think there’s different ways to express being 15 — which might include sexuality. Just not in that way.
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May 6th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
MU – Now you’ve got me thinking about that song from Grease…”There are worse things I could do than go with a boy or two. Even though the neighborhood thinks I’m trashy and no-good.”
Ahem.
I’m with you. Where it comes to my children (and me, when I was 15), this sort of display is not acceptable.
And you make a good point that seeing other teens – famous or not – put themselves on display sexually *normalizes* what we want to avoid with our own kids.
But just like with Facebook, it’s hard for me to reconcile the outrage when TVs are still tuned to the show. Stop watching (and explain why).
May 6th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
The photos of Miley suggestively laying with a boy and the self-portraits that were “leaked” on the internet are far more disturbing and harder to explain than the VF ones, although I agree that there is something extra creepy about the way she is posed with her dad, with her midriff exposed.