Published: September 06, 2009 02:09 pm      

She did what?

Miley Cyrus should carefully consider the influence she has on her young, impressionable fans

Several weeks ago, the wildly popular teen star Miley Cyrus ignited a firestorm of controversy by pole dancing during a performance at the Teen Choice Awards.

For those of you without young ones in the house, Cyrus is the star of the hit show “Hannah Montana” on the Disney Channel. It’s about a teenage girl who lives a double life as a normal high school student by day, and an international pop star by night. Nobody except her family and close friends know her secret. Her real-life father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, also plays her father on the show, which touches on themes like integrity, family and so on. I think the show is alright, but my daughters love it.

The program’s popularity has catapulted Miley Cyrus into mega stardom. Her new music album is number one on the Billboard chart right now and was the second biggest debut of a female artist this year. Her new Hannah Montana movie, just released on DVD, is outselling all other releases.

It’s safe to say she’s one of the most popular child stars/singers in the business.

So it’s not too difficult to understand why so many parents were shocked and troubled when a scantily-clad Cyrus swung around and slid up and down a pole attached to the top of an ice cream cart during a recently televised teen awards show.

Provocative dancing is hardly new to the music scene. We’ve come to expect all manner of it when pop stars take the stage. However, other pop stars do not have the same audience that Miley Cyrus has. And other pop stars aren’t 16-years-old.

The fame and power enjoyed by celebrities comes with some amount of responsibility. It’s even greater for Ms. Cyrus, and those promoting her, because of the age of her fans. There are six, seven and eight-year-old girls who watch her show, go to her concerts, buy her clothing line, sing her songs and adoringly watch her every move – including ones that involve dancing on a pole.

And let’s be clear on what pole dancing is. It is erotic dancing typically performed at strip clubs that is meant to appeal to the prurient interests of sexually excited men. It objectifies women. Even more damaging, it (like pornography) reduces what is the beauty of the marital sexual relationship to something mundane and self satisfying, instead of transcendent and mutually loving.

So why is a 16-year-old Disney television star in short shorts imitating a stripper on live television in front of millions of other teenagers? And who thought this was a good idea?

Apparently her parents didn’t have a problem with it as they applauded her from the front row.

When asked about his daughter’s controversial dance, Billy Ray Cyrus said, “You know what? I just think that Miley loves entertaining people. She loves singing and songwriting. I always tell her to love what you’re doing and stay focused for the love of the art and not worry so much about opinion.”

Look, Billy Ray Cyrus seems like a decent guy (even if he is the source of the song “Achey Breaky Heart”) and a loving father. And there’s evidence that suggests that he has solid values. But I think he’s missing the point on this, badly.

I agree that Ms. Cyrus should not be concerned with what others think about things like her hair or her voice. She shouldn’t lose any sleep over that. But we’re not talking about public opinion here. What should keep her up at night is what her performances are doing to young, impressionable kids and what they think about themselves and their bodies.

Our kids are hammered by sexual imagery, messages and banter from early ages. Studies show that the more young people are exposed to sexuality in the media the more likely they are to engage in sexual behavior at a younger age. Nothing benign about that.

Miley Cyrus became something else the moment she imitated a stripper. She was a child star who became a sexual object the moment she grabbed that pole. And, like it or not, she was sending a message to her young fans.

I’m well aware that it is not the job of sports or entertainment professionals to be kids’ moral instructors. I am responsible for my children’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. It’s a role that I, and millions of other parents, take very seriously. But it’s not shirking my responsibility as a parent to object when those in a position to influence my kids abuse their role.

Conduct like this from a young star harms our kids. It undermines the reality that sexuality is not something to be taken lightly. It lowers the healthy barrier that separates objectionable behavior from harmless behavior. It’s exploitive and degrading. And it’s another demonstration of what some rightfully call the “pornification” of our culture.

Here is the challenge for parents: how do we protect our kids when they grow attached to innocent young stars that eventually “break out” of their squeaky clean image through reckless and harmful behavior? We’ve seen it before with stars like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. I’m sure there will be plenty more to come.

As parents, we cannot count on the young stars our kids adore to remain a positive, or at least benign, influence in their lives. It’s up to us to make sure our voice precedes these celebrities and lingers long after they’ve been sucked into the popular culture. But gosh, Miley, can we get a little help?



Georgia Family Council is a non-profit research and education organization committed to fostering conditions in which individuals, families and communities thrive. For more information, go to www.georgiafamily.org, (770) 242-0001, stephen.daniels@georgiafamily.org.