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| So Lady Gaga's thong is art, while Miley Cyrus twerking is wrong? | |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| You have to feel for Miley Cyrus. She must have wanted to come across as cool and edgy during her bikini clad VMA performance, but instead the young singer turned herself into a parody of what a female pop star is supposed to be with her misguided attempt at raunchiness. There was nothing in her performance that hasnʼt been done before, yet it enraged pretty much everyone from liberal feminists to conservative parent groups who dismissed it as gratuitous and harmful respectively. Unwittingly, however, Cyrus may have done us all a service by illustrating in a painfully embarrassing way how casually the music industry exploits women and how casually women in the music industry allow themselves to be exploited. | You have to feel for Miley Cyrus. She must have wanted to come across as cool and edgy during her bikini clad VMA performance, but instead the young singer turned herself into a parody of what a female pop star is supposed to be with her misguided attempt at raunchiness. There was nothing in her performance that hasnʼt been done before, yet it enraged pretty much everyone from liberal feminists to conservative parent groups who dismissed it as gratuitous and harmful respectively. Unwittingly, however, Cyrus may have done us all a service by illustrating in a painfully embarrassing way how casually the music industry exploits women and how casually women in the music industry allow themselves to be exploited. |
| Possibly, the most uncomfortable thing about the 20-year-oldʼs performance was watching her gyrate her semi-clad self against a fully dressed Robert Thicke (whoʼs 16 years her senior) as he sang his summer hit, Blurred Lines. The song has been called out for being "kind of rapey" because its message is that women who say no to sex really mean yes. Most of the criticism of the duet was reserved for Cyrusʼ not so sultry moves, however, even though nothing that she did – from the twerking to the crotch grabs to the simulated masturbation – is new to the genre. Strutting oneʼs stuff in the most overtly sexual way possible is practically routine for pop divas these days, so why all the outrage now? | Possibly, the most uncomfortable thing about the 20-year-oldʼs performance was watching her gyrate her semi-clad self against a fully dressed Robert Thicke (whoʼs 16 years her senior) as he sang his summer hit, Blurred Lines. The song has been called out for being "kind of rapey" because its message is that women who say no to sex really mean yes. Most of the criticism of the duet was reserved for Cyrusʼ not so sultry moves, however, even though nothing that she did – from the twerking to the crotch grabs to the simulated masturbation – is new to the genre. Strutting oneʼs stuff in the most overtly sexual way possible is practically routine for pop divas these days, so why all the outrage now? |
| The problem seems to be with the messaging, or the lack of it, in this case. Among the many critics of Cyrusʼ performance was the actress, Brooke Shields, who played her mother on the hit TV show, Hannah Montana. "I feel like itʼs a bit desperate," Shields said of her former co-star, as she wondered who was advising her to put on such a racy display. Meanwhile Shields had no objection to Lady Gaga gracing the audience with a glimpse of her barely there thong-covered ass during her much lauded opening act of the same awards show. According to Shields, Lady Gagaʼs act "had a genius behind all of it. Itʼs not just display". Certainly, Gagaʼs thong flash seemed mild in comparison to Cyrusʼ over the top follow up act, but it was still a totally gratuitous bit of self exploitation in an otherwise interesting and well put together number. | The problem seems to be with the messaging, or the lack of it, in this case. Among the many critics of Cyrusʼ performance was the actress, Brooke Shields, who played her mother on the hit TV show, Hannah Montana. "I feel like itʼs a bit desperate," Shields said of her former co-star, as she wondered who was advising her to put on such a racy display. Meanwhile Shields had no objection to Lady Gaga gracing the audience with a glimpse of her barely there thong-covered ass during her much lauded opening act of the same awards show. According to Shields, Lady Gagaʼs act "had a genius behind all of it. Itʼs not just display". Certainly, Gagaʼs thong flash seemed mild in comparison to Cyrusʼ over the top follow up act, but it was still a totally gratuitous bit of self exploitation in an otherwise interesting and well put together number. |
| You can see why a 20-year-old up and coming pop star might be confused about whatʼs acceptable and what isnʼt when it comes to baring it all, or at least most of it, during a live performance. Apparently, itʼs okay to gyrate on stage in a bikini so long as you can sell it as art form or as an act of female self empowerment, even if itʼs anything but. Back in the early 1990s when Queen of Pop, Madonna, was pioneering the art of simulated masturbation on stage, she managed to pass it off as a grand gesture of female self determination. Itʼs quite a feat when you think about it, to cast oneself as a great feminist crusader while you perfect the art of self objectification and then go on to spend your entire career pandering to the male gaze. To Madonnaʼs credit, however, she did push the boundaries of female sexuality along the way and at least did so in a way that has been interesting to watch. | You can see why a 20-year-old up and coming pop star might be confused about whatʼs acceptable and what isnʼt when it comes to baring it all, or at least most of it, during a live performance. Apparently, itʼs okay to gyrate on stage in a bikini so long as you can sell it as art form or as an act of female self empowerment, even if itʼs anything but. Back in the early 1990s when Queen of Pop, Madonna, was pioneering the art of simulated masturbation on stage, she managed to pass it off as a grand gesture of female self determination. Itʼs quite a feat when you think about it, to cast oneself as a great feminist crusader while you perfect the art of self objectification and then go on to spend your entire career pandering to the male gaze. To Madonnaʼs credit, however, she did push the boundaries of female sexuality along the way and at least did so in a way that has been interesting to watch. |
| Ultimately, Madonna is a professional recording artist who knows that sex sells records so she uses sex to sell records. She exploits herself for personal gain, if you will, which is one way of fighting back against the male-dominated music industry that would be all too willing to exploit her if she allowed it. Her (pop queen) heir apparent, Lady Gaga, seems to have worked this out, too. This is why both Madonna and Lady Gaga can get away with playing up to male expectations of enjoyment without being dismissed as sex objects. They own what they are doing and some of the time at least thereʼs a purpose to it. This is the part of the equation that got lost on Miley Cyrus and is probably why so many people found her attempt at raunchiness not just excruciating to watch but also offensive. | Ultimately, Madonna is a professional recording artist who knows that sex sells records so she uses sex to sell records. She exploits herself for personal gain, if you will, which is one way of fighting back against the male-dominated music industry that would be all too willing to exploit her if she allowed it. Her (pop queen) heir apparent, Lady Gaga, seems to have worked this out, too. This is why both Madonna and Lady Gaga can get away with playing up to male expectations of enjoyment without being dismissed as sex objects. They own what they are doing and some of the time at least thereʼs a purpose to it. This is the part of the equation that got lost on Miley Cyrus and is probably why so many people found her attempt at raunchiness not just excruciating to watch but also offensive. |
| Some commentators have suggested that there might have been a sense of irony at play in the performance that the larger public missed, and that Cyrus may have been trying to parody the original video by telling Thicke, "I know you want it" and turning herself into the aggressor. If this was her intention, it didnʼt help her cause that she was leading a pack of scantily clad women who are all clamoring for the attentions of one fully dressed man who looks as though he canʼt wait to get away from them. Instead she came off as a kid trying to play grown up in an industry not designed for innocents. | Some commentators have suggested that there might have been a sense of irony at play in the performance that the larger public missed, and that Cyrus may have been trying to parody the original video by telling Thicke, "I know you want it" and turning herself into the aggressor. If this was her intention, it didnʼt help her cause that she was leading a pack of scantily clad women who are all clamoring for the attentions of one fully dressed man who looks as though he canʼt wait to get away from them. Instead she came off as a kid trying to play grown up in an industry not designed for innocents. |
| If she learns anything from this disastrous outing, I hope itʼs that if sheʼs going to allow the music industry to play her as a sex object, she needs to at least own it. | If she learns anything from this disastrous outing, I hope itʼs that if sheʼs going to allow the music industry to play her as a sex object, she needs to at least own it. |