Staff Editorial: Cyrus over-criticized for VMA performance

Graphic+by+Luke+Weisbrod

Graphic by Luke Weisbrod

Pony Express Staff

Miley Cyrus’ recent controversial acts on stage and off did not warrant her to receive the amount of public criticism that she did.

In early Sept. Miley Cyrus performed Blurred Lines with original singer Robin Thicke at MTV’s video music awards. Since then she has gotten a lot of press attention and insults. The collective public believes the actions of the childhood star are unacceptable and she need to be controlled.

Cyrus’ actions are thought to be outrageous and an act of rebellion by the public, but the truth is, the common public only remember Cyrus as young Hannah Montana, an act, and not the real her.

The controversial topic is whether or not this is the real Cyrus because all people know of her is the commonly loved character she played as a young teen. Her act may be different, but she isn’t 13 years old anymore, she is different and changed. Her demographic when she was a young teen was kids, and now she is targeting a different audience which is making her previous fans lash out because it is not everyday people see a star flip their sound and image.

Some question the huge amounts of publicity Cyrus got from her first memorable performance at the VMA’s. Some feel the only reason she is getting so much publicity and criticism is because she is a white female. Robin Thicke did not get nearly as much criticism as Cyrus, despite having a wife, which brought up more controversial conversation about sexism and racism.

Others feel Cyrus’s recent actions are to gain fame and are organized by behind-the-scene agents. However she could be trying to make herself stand out from the rest of the entertainers in the industry. Nobody else in the industry lately has really gotten this much publicity or has had their name known by millions of people nation-wide in all age-groups.

Many see Cyrus’ quick rise to extreme fame as temporary and is compared to Jason Derulo and Jason Mraz who had a few great hits and then disappeared. There are only so many crazy things someone can do to keep surprising people. She has already done surprising performances, drug scandal, baby scandal, break-up, crazy outfits and nudity. There are not many more things she can do that will surprise the public.

Cyrus’ actions should not be criticized to the extent at which they are currently. She is finally coming out as the person who she feels she truly is and wants people to realize that she is not Hannah Montana anymore. She is Miley Cyrus, she needed to make a big move to achieve this recognition, and she did.