Alexis Williams | Contributing Writer
When Professor Bruce Ellingson asked my Media and Society class what was going on in the media today, without question “Miley Cyrus at the VMAs” was among the first topics to come into discussion. With other important matters going on in the world, such as chemical warfare and bombings, why are we all so worried about a pop singer who wore risqué clothing on stage and made a few inappropriate expressions? Isn’t that what we’ve come to expect? While we were trying to depict what the media was trying to convey, through her newly rebellious reputation, a few key ideas came into play. Most agree that she was trying to prove she is no longer a Disney star by trying to remove the wholesome, innocent, pure teen image. In class, it was almost unanimous, that people believed that she is going about discovering her new identity in all the wrong ways. I, on the other hand, completely disagree.
In today’s world it is becoming harder and harder to make money off of the typical CDs and concerts because most everyone has access to music in some sort of “free” form. Whether that be YouTube, Pandora, Spotify, or downloading music illegally, I think we could all agree that these things do exist and these tools make it difficult for artists to survive on what they’ve always known. What I think Miley is doing is absolutely genius. Yes, you read correctly. I think her absurd haircut, minimal clothing, twerking, butt-smacking, and tongue-sticking-out act is completely brilliant. Why? Ever heard the saying “all publicity is good publicity?” Miley is everywhere: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, newspapers, tabloids, blogs, magazines; you name it. She is everywhere. Even her manager, Larry Rudolph, said her performance could not have gone better.
Although I don’t agree with Miley’s outfit choice or the strange Minnie-Mouse-like pigtails, all of her actions have a purpose, and she exceeded any expectation out there for a “publicity stunt”. Her performance alone generated over 300,000 tweets per minute; most people don’t understand how big of a number this is. Miley received more tweets per minute in her short performance than the Super Bowl (including the blackout). In fact, so many people knew about it that people were “recovering” from her greatness the day after, the day after that, and clearly well into the week. Her performance video on YouTube has had over four million views, and of course, the discussions on social media sites haven’t stopped, and they won’t stop until everyone has witnessed the ridiculousness. We can’t stop watching Miley. We can’t stop trying to understand what she’s doing. We can’t stop talking about Miley. We can’t stop.
Between the use of soft teddy bears and mouse themed attire, she is directly referring to her Disney start. Rather than trying to ditch the image, she actually brought it on stage with her. So many people were distracted by the vulgar actions they didn’t notice this reference. Similarly, another reference people didn’t quite see, is the connection of her behavior with the lyrics of the song that has given her this popularity. The lyrics “…we run things, things don’t run we” is talking about how society judges individuals and how we cannot conform to their criticism. Additionally, in the featured part of Blurred Lines directly after her piece, is all about a “good girl” that someone attempted to “domesticate”, but it was in her nature to rebel. Coincidence or not?
All in all, her performance gained her the publicity needed to sell her upcoming album Bangerz. She has yet to apologize for her behavior because, well, she doesn’t need to. Why aren’t people appalled by Lady Gaga’s appearance in seashells and a thong? Because people have come to accept her stage act, just as they will learn to accept Miley’s stage appearances. Besides the foam finger, I think we all can agree the ass-shaking, poor dancing, and grinding is nothing more revealing than what I see at Malarky’s on a Saturday night. Congratulations Miley; you’re doing it so right.
Graphic by Grace Bodey
