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Miley Cyrus’s racy new image and break from her Disney counterpart, Hannah Montana, has had her in the news a lot lately. Now the star’s sexy new look may be more trouble than it’s worth. Perez Hilton tweeted a photo of the star supposedly panty-less. He took the picture down later in the day after mayhem ensued from outraged fans and critics, some saying Hilton should be charged with child pornography since Cyrus is only 17. He claimed that the starlet really did have underwear on and the picture had been photoshopped.

After it seemed the initial controversy surrounding the photo had somewhat died down, Hilton stirred it up again. This time with a photo of Cyrus in a barely-there leotard which exposed her nether regions. Some couldn’t believe Hilton was at it again. But at this point we have to wonder: is this the Hollywood media being too intrusive or should Cyrus tone it down a bit?

Although a lot of celebs have beef with Hilton over his sometimes rude comments, they have to realize that we live in a media-frenzied world. In the case of the first photo, I’d side with Cyrus. Nobody needs to be snapping photos of her panties while she gets out of a car. With the second photo, however, I side with Hilton. If it wasn’t him posting pictures and comments on his blog about Cyrus, there would be someone else. Other bloggers and news sources had their own pictures of Cyrus from the Much Music Awards in Toronto when her tiny leotard slipped. This was a public appearance where media was present. It wasn’t exactly an intrusion of her privacy.

Now, I remember being 17 like Cyrus. You want to be treated as an adult, and you are in a phase where you are taking on more responsibility. I was in my senior year of high school, getting ready to graduate and go on to college. So, I totally get that part. But I wasn’t running around in sky-high heels and revealing clothes. There are the same excuses — it’s different in Hollywood and show business, she’s being artistic and expressive, and so on. All I can say is if Cyrus wants to be treated like more of an adult then she needs to take responsibility for the decisions she makes. She is successful enough now that if she really didn’t want to wear hoochie clothes and dance on poles, she doesn’t have to.

One blogger made an interesting comparison between Cyrus and her friend, Taylor Swift. Both girls are very successful and close in age. But Swift doesn’t need to run around in flesh-baring outfits and is still considered an artist (she writes her own music). If she can choose how she wants to appear, why can’t Cyrus? It’s too soon to see how this new image will affect her career but, for now, I think maybe Cyrus should tame her new wild ways and leave the controversy to someone else.

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Image of Miley Cyrus's controversial Teen Choice Awards performance courtesy of Stylefrizz.com

I get a kick out of my younger cousin. She’s got a sassy, spitfire attitude and a flair for the dramatic. She’s confessed to me before that she’s going to be a star. Her favorite performers are the Jonas Brothers, the High School Musical crew and, of course, Miley “Hannah Montana” Cyrus. Today however, young Disney stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Cyrus seem to have grown up so fast and left their young fans in the dust. The “Disney machine” has created some tween sensations who may not be the best influences on the young audiences they were initially molded for.

I don’t have a problem with young stars in general. I, like my cousin, was a Disney buff growing up. Back in my day, the tween sensation was Hilary Duff and her show, Lizzie McGuire, was one of my favorites. A group of my friends and I even asked our parents to exempt us to leave school early one day so we could go see her movie.

Now the similarities between the beginning careers of Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus may seem close. But I don’t remember Hilary Duff posting risqué pictures of herself online, posing nearly nude for Vanity Fair, shacking up with older boyfriends and grinding on a pole at the Teen Choice Awards. If you hadn’t guessed, these are all things Cyrus has done within the past few years while still starring on her Disney show. Even Hudgens, Zac Efron’s on-screen and real-life girlfriend, has had pictures of her posing naked leaked to the press — twice!

I always worry that young girls, like my cousin, are seeing the not-so-great aspects of these girls who live in what I would dub a fantasy-land (Hollywood isn’t exactly the real world). Young girls seem to be more advanced than I was at their age. For example, I wasn’t allowed to have a real boyfriend until I was in high school.

In a 2007 article in Newsweek, a first-grade teacher who was interviewed said she notices a difference in her students citing, “girls using words like ‘sexy,’ singing pop songs with suggestive lyrics and flirting with boys.” In an age where kids spend a large amount of their time with some form of media, it’s not hard to see why they may begin to be influenced by what they see.

However strong the media and celebrity influence may be though, it seems parents can counteract these and are doing so in response to the heightened influence of pop culture. Family members, teachers and good friends have a more immediate impact on kids than, say, Cyrus and her pole-dancing ways. If these people instill a foundation of values for kids, they’re likely to follow them.

This may be true, even for the Disney-loving set. Surprisingly, Cyrus was rated as the Worst Celebrity Influence of 2009 by tweens and teens on an online poll. It seems that our nation’s Disney kids prefer Hannah Montana to sexy Cyrus.

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Image courtesy of colorfull_stocks

Young girls everywhere are under attack by the changing times and the changing media. Since when did 10-year-old girls become familiar with curling irons, straighteners and makeup? What parents are giving the OK for their girls to leave the house in miniskirts and low-cut tops? And, perhaps most importantly, why are these girls considering becoming sexually active?

It’s not exactly a new argument, but today’s youth has the misfortune of having the worst role models to date. Young stars like Miley Cyrus and Jamie Lynn Spears are sending messages leading young girls to think it’s alright to be promiscuous.

Jamie Lynn Spears, for example, was a young star on a Nickelodeon show called “Zoey 101” aired at a time where girls age 10 to 14 would be free to tune in. The show about kids living at a boarding school dealing with everyday problems seemed harmless until our little starlet found herself pregnant. What are her young fans supposed to think?

Lucky for her child, Jamie seems to be a better mother than her older sister Britney. The pop icon took a devastating turn for the worse and became a terrible example for girls of any age. Perhaps the media is to blame, perhaps it’s the fame. Whatever the reason, stars in demand right now are leading young girls astray.

Another great example, Miley Cyrus, seems to be on her way to becoming another Britney (hopefully she won’t be shaving her head anytime soon). After becoming a teen sensation, Miley seems to have no inhibitions when it comes to shaking her butt around in tiny shorts for all of America to see (she moves her hips like “yea” nowadays).

It may sound a bit over-the-top, but these starlets are having an impact. Just ask Kaylee Stewart, who has literally been coaching her sister through the sixth grade. The girls in her sister’s class all wear Miley Cyrus brand clothes and sing her songs like there’s no tomorrow. Harmless enough, right? Wrong.

The girls in this sixth-grade class also fantasize about dating older men and have even pressured each other to “get to second base” with guys in their class. Dances that used to be simple and youthfully-awkward are now full of grinding and hip thrusting. Kaylee’s sister feels uncomfortable with the choices of her friends, but she’s not really sure what else to do.

We have to recognize the images the media, and even ourselves, present to our youth. As public images become less and less modest, young girls are almost obligated to follow these young stars. With fewer stay-at-home moms and dads, television becomes a great babysitter when parents need a break.

Girls are maturing earlier and teens are constantly pressured to be what others want them to be. When their role models appear to be giving in to temptation, why shouldn’t they? How can they say no?

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It used to be that when we thought Tim McGraw, we were supposed to think of her, too.  No, no…not Faith Hill. Taylor Swift. Only now, there’s no need to think just Tim McGraw; we can think Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, even Brooks & Dunn. That’s some major country royalty. And those names, along with Miss Swift, make up Forbes’ Top Five (Estimated) Earners from Nashville in 2009. (Brooks & Dunn and Tim McGraw both came in at number five.)

Taylor Swift is number four on that list, after being the best-selling solo artist of 2008 and having some fun on the big screen with Miley Cyrus, Swift is expected to bring in about $18 million in 2009. But, as we all know, it’s not about the money.

This sweetheart has broken into the good ol’ boys club. Not only were the others in the Top Five all on last year’s Forbes list, they’re all male. After Taylor, the next highest rank amongst women is Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Nettles (both in 8th). Country music listeners tend to be loyal to their acts and so you see many top earners who have been around the rodeo a time or two but, with the Dixie Chicks on what seems to be a temporary hiatus, we are glad to have and up-and-comer like Taylor breaking through to the top tier.

Taylor writes her own songs and belts them out in a mix of country twang, solid pop, and a bit of coffee shop culture. Her accomplishments have left us wondering what we might accomplish if we have the courage to sing it out loud, too.

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It began in 2006 as a hit Disney Channel TV series and then branched out to the big screen in 2008 with Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert.  Now the “Hannah Montana” phenomenon is all grown up with a full-length feature film entitled Hannah Montana: The Movie.  Just as the franchise continues to grow in success, the film depicts Hannah’s continued climb to stardom as an international pop sensation.

At the film’s start, Hannah seems to be the girl who has everything, but somewhere amidst the hair, make-up and Rodeo Drive shopping sprees, Miley has begun to get lost in the shuffle.  In an attempt to help her return to her roots, Miley’s father (Billy Ray Cyrus) tricks her into going home to Tennessee for her grandma’s birthday.  This is where the adventure begins, as Miley reconnects with her family, falls in love and rediscovers herself in the countryside of her home town of Crowley Corners.  Miley is joined on the big screen by several favorites from the TV show and additional cameos by Tyra Banks, Taylor Swift, and Rascal Flatts.

Hannah Montana: The Movie was definitely not on my must see list, but since it was a slow weekend as far as releases, I thought I would give it a shot for the sake of you, i am that girl readers.  I walked into the theater with several preconceived notions about this film, despite the fact that I’ve never even seen an episode of the TV series.  I was expecting screaming tweens, blond wigs, and bad pop songs… So when I actually got a touching coming-of-age story, I was pleasantly surprised.

Miley is likeable on-screen and it’s hard not to fall for her charm and youthful energy.  There is an innocence about her that is endearing and the film proves to be genuine and heartfelt overall.  While the plot seems fairly generic and borders on corny cliché at times, it is perfectly suited for its target demographic of young girls.  There is also a wholesome message at the film’s core about finding yourself by returning to your roots and the importance of knowing where you’re from to get to where you’re going.

In the end, it’s all about the journey or “the climb” as they refer to it in the film and as Miley learns, no matter how much commercial or financial success you may achieve, knowing who you are and staying true to yourself is the true definition of success.  The film also offers an interesting depiction of fame through the Miley Cyrus/ Hannah Montana dichotomy, delving into how notoriety can change people and the importance of staying grounded.  In terms of production value, this big-version is well shot and directed and while the music lacks originality, it’s still catchy and appropriate for the story.

That Girl says: Like it! This is almost embarrassing to admit, but Disney delivers an upbeat and uplifting tale that is sure to make audiences smile.  It may be formulaic, but it’s a formula that works and transfers nicely from the small to the big screen.  Amidst the clutter at the box office, it’s encouraging to find a film that promotes the importance of a woman knowing herself and Miley seems to be a positive role model that young girls can identify with.

Release Date:  April 10th, 2009 (Wide Release)
Running Time:  102 minutes
Rated:  G
Company:  Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: Miley Cyrus – Hannah Montana / Miley Stewart
Billy Ray Cyrus – Robby Ray Stewart
Emily Osment – Lilly Truscott / Lola Luftnagle
Jason Earles – Jackson Stewart
Mitchel Musso – Oliver Oken / Mike Standley III
Moises Arias – Rico
Lucas Till – Travis Brody
Vanessa Williams – Vita
Margo Martindale – Ruby
Director: Peter Chelsom
Official Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/hannahmontanamovie/#/home

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