A complete and utter trivial post
I do not post entries about the nonsense that happens in our celebrity driven culture, but I will make an exception for this one.
Now, Mr. Cyrus, Bill Ray, if I may, what the hell were you thinking when you let your little daughter go to do a photo shoot with someone at Vanity Fair? Have you not seen some of the prior covers of this magazine? Alright, I can understand that you were told that it was going to be “artistic.” However, why in the world did you leave early? Have something more important to do? Were they filming another episode of “Doc” for PAX TV? Had to attend a meeting of the local chapter of “Line Dancin’ Anonymous?” Plus, the grandmother and teacher that were present during the controversial shot need to be shot. Damn, if they are asking a 15 year old to take off her top to make the picture more artistic, then should not you say something in protest or call the parents to see if it is okay? Plus, with most photography becoming digital, there was no excuse for someone to express some concern about this picture, before the picture made its way into the magazine. Lastly, the “apology” is lame; it is a pitiful attempt to maintain her core audience, tween girls. If she was serious about being embarrassed about the photos, then she would ask Vanity Fair to retract the photo from the magazine.
Look, I am no prude. Hell, I am a member of SuicideGirls.com and have been one for almost five years. However, the only import of this photo is to eroticize a young girl for profit, fame, or both. If Ms. Cyrus wants to do so when she is 18, then that is her business and none of mine, but to do so, when she is 15, well, that is vile to me.
April 28, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Eh. Looking through the slideslow on VF.com, I don’t think there’s anything “inappropriate” about these photos. She’s also not going to be on the cover of the magazine.
April 28, 2008 at 6:42 pm
This is the picture that I am ticked about.
April 29, 2008 at 8:47 am
The most vile thing about that photo is that her hair comes over her top lip like she has a moustache. Like I said, I don’t get the big deal. People see what they want to see.
It reminds me of those paintings from the 17th century.
April 29, 2008 at 10:55 am
I understand that there is no actual nudity in the photo and that at best, it is implied. I know that people see what they want to see in the photo. That is my problem with the actions or inactions of Ms. Cyrus’ parents. Mr. Billy Ray Cyrus has been a singer and actor. He understand the power of the media and the images that they present. Do you think he wore those tight blue jeans back in the day, just for fun, when he sang “Achy Breaky Heart?” Hell, no. He knew that image would excite some, if not all, of his female fans. So, he understands the power of the media, firsthand.
Putting aside, Mr. Cyrus’ prior dealings with the music business and the media, he and his wife have seen firsthand how the media has eroticized other young female singers, such as Britney and Christina. Also, they have seen how this process has been a factor in some of those said singers’ fall from grace. They should have been keenly aware with their daughter being the star of young girls, tweens, and some teenagers that their daughter may be the target of someone wanting to do the same to their daughter.
Furthermore, they have been touting their daughter as a role model to young girls and tweens because she is different from said skanks. So, to leave during a photo shoot, especially when the photographer might want to do something “artistic,” is the height of stupidity, both in a business sense and as a being a parent.
Also, they were aware of the photos before their submission to the magazine (in fact, they were aware of them that day, if I remember correctly), and they were happy with them! To claim now that Ms. Cyrus is embarrassed by the photos sounds very disingenuous to me. To be cynical about this, it is simply a ploy to help their daughter build creditability when she makes the eventual crossover from being a child star to being an adult star. And all of us are being used a ploys in this marketing scheme.