After hearing about it, I finally watched the video to Miley Cyrus’ new single “We Can’t Stop.” Here’s my beef: I get the whole breaking away from Hannah Montana thing. I understand that she wants to establish herself as an adult and enter a new phase of her career. But since when has becoming an adult woman equal becoming a skank?
Singing about sex and drugs, wearing little clothing while humping pillows, grabbing other girls’ breasts and butts — these things make you an adult? Wow, I guess I missed the memo.
Forget the substandard quality of the song, or the fact that she’s clearly trying to become the new Pink. What stands out here is how the video exemplifies oversexualization of young women. Here’s the video’s apparent message: the only way to succeed in life is to compromise your dignity and self-esteem. Let others exploit you and your sexuality, turning you into an object.
I’m not a prude — we’re all sexual beings, after all — but I feel that videos like “We Can’t Stop” send the wrong message to young women, and perpetuate the trend of tweeners dressing provocatively at way too young an age.
Obviously I’m not advocating banning the video, as I have a dim view of censorship. But I hope it provokes honest discussions between parents and their daughters about what it really means to be an adult, stressing that you control your own body and image — no one else. Sometimes I feel that feminism has become a dirty word, a “relic” that today’s women deem obsolete. However, feminism does need to address this very serious topic, one that results in devastating psychological consequences for many women.
Some may say that I’m reading too much into the clip; indeed, I’m not placing all the blame on Ms. Cyrus. She’s just symptomatic of this sexploitation of young girls. Women need to mentor the younger generations and teach them what it really means to be a happy, healthy, confident, and, yes, adult woman.
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humping pillows? you say that like it’s a _bad_ thing.
😉
ok, i’ll stop now.
I agree Kit. Today’s young women have no idea what women’s lib was about. Too them it’s about the things in this video. My married daughter who is in her late 20s had no idea until a couple of years ago that the employment pages in the newspaper were separated by sex under HELP WANTED: MEN and HELP WANTED: WOMEN. This video doesn’t help matters.
I agree with Kit completely!!! 100%
I agree with you.
I feel that Miley Cyrus always has had a habit of saying and doing the wrong thing that gets herself in trouble or allows herself to be viewed in a way that only brings it on herself.
I understand what she is trying to do. I can relate sort of because me growing up in a pentecostal christian background, I really wanted to show my edgy side when I was in my early 20’s.
Like her, her religious deprived life style as a kid was being Disney’s Hannah Montana and it must have been hard for her growing up and people seeing her that way and then drastically changing in a way that comes across as trying way too hard.
I look at her and her god awful music video and it kind of makes me cringe a little. My muscles tense up from anxiety cause it embarrasses me for her.
She is a talented young lady but she can do way better at proving that she is grown up.
It might take her a little bit to realize that she doesn’t need to hump pillows and sing about drugs while making out with large baby heads that look like they have hydrocephalus or even making out with life size dolls that like like herself.
Christina Aguilera went through it. Brittany Spears did too. They got out of that stage.
Lets hope for the best that she does too so she can show the talented artist that she really is.