What do you think of Miley Cyrus' new video - Party in the USA?

[slduck]

My mom just took my 12 yo DD to see Miley for a belated birthday gift. I was in Disney with my younger daughter at the time. My mom called the next day and told me she was sorry she took DD. She said there were many inappropriate moments at the show. The one that stood out the most is when they dropped ropes from the ceiling and the dancers were basically pole dancing with them.

I am taking DD (soon to be 8) to see Miley in Columbia,SC for a surprise birthday present. I went to ALOT of trouble to get these tickets before the pole dancing incident at the awards show. I am praying that the show isn't too over the top.

I know that she is trying to appeal to an older audience, but she grew up WAY faster than her admirers. All I can say is that the Jonas Brothers, Demi, Selena, and Taylor would love to have our money too.

 

[luvmy3]

I am not 16 or 17 in 2009 (I wish!) but I have a 17 year old daughter and that is NOT what they all wear..by a long shot. Maybe the trampy ones do, but they do not all dress that way. My daughter doesn't even want to and she's so insanely picky about what she wears. She has the bod, the looks etc and is one of the most popular kids in her school. My point of that is that she dresses very current and is her own person..I'm not one of those moms that takes her shopping and scrutinizes everything she buys. She just knows intuitively what is/isn't appropriate. She has one friend who dresses that way and the girl is obnoxiously boy crazy and has been in all sorts of trouble with boys and young men. It's kind of sad actually.

Really, what we're seeing with Miley is no different than what we've seen before. Britney was huge when my daughter was a young girl. She (britney) was moving into adulthood and dressing really skanky and it became so difficult to shop for my daughter in the girls department because all the clothing coming out was "britney style"...for GIRLS..not teens.

The videos may not be aimed for 6 year olds, but the fact remains that it's the 6,7 and 8 year olds that are crazy about her and that's her main audience. Even teen girls (at least the older teen girls) are not into Miley. Whether she likes it or not, she is a model for the younger crowd of girls, thanks to Disney especially.

Wow, I know a bunch of very nice, respectable, high-honor roll 17 year olds who happen to wear short shorts and tanks that you just offended. Have you gone shopping in the last few years, take a look at a look at the summer clearnaces and see whats left over in the junior sizes if you haven't. This is the style and wearing those clothes does not make one a tramp

Hannah Montana's main audience is 6 and 7 year olds, not Miley's, so as long as HM isn't dressing like *a tramp* who cares. Parents should be monitoring what their children see and hear anyway, so any parent that lets their 6,7,8,9 year old watch a show about a high-school student maybe should have thought about the fact that their dd would be admiring an older, teen who IRL, especially in show business, will be growing up right before our eyes. Disney may have introduced her, and BTW they did that to appeal to the tweens who out grew out of the princesses, she was not marketed (at first) to the younger girls, its not Disney who drove the demand of HM toward young girls it was the parents going out and buying all the junk, fighting for concert tix, etc feeding it. Lets face it its not really in Disney's best interest to hold back marketing when its going to make them a fortune.

Anyway, I see nothing wrong with the video but will agree that putting it on after Handy Manny wasn't a great chioce, although I would have let my 5 year old watch, and he'd be singing and dancing along

 

[momx2]

I feel that I am a pretty conservative mom to my 8 and 9 year old daughters. I have seen the video and was fine with it, but just watched the video again on Youtube to see if maybe I missed something. I don't think there is anything wrong or inappropriate with it. She is a 17 years old girl and she was dressed just as the other girls her age do in a tank and shorts (that is the style) and her hair covered her appropriately growing chest for as much as it could. The song talks about moving hips and thats what she did. I have seen more inappropriate moves by younger girls at some dance recitals.

ITA!
I hadn't seen the video, but after reading about it on here I went to watch it. I was going to post a long post, but after reading this one, it says what I wanted to say. I have an almost 12 DD and an 8 DD and I see nothing wrong with it. I was expecting the worst after reading this thread and kept waiting for "it" and "it" didn't happen. Just looked like a 17 year old to me. I'm 41 and I the dancing didn't seem anymore provacative than it did when I was 17. I do think it was wrong to show after Handy Manny though.

 

[bdiddy]

After seeing this post, I went to youtube and watched the video. I admit that I cannot see what the fuss is about. This girl is a teenager, she is not a 6 yo and her video should not be judged by what a 6yo finds appropriate. I do agree that it was not appropriate for that TV station to show it following a Handy Manny episode.

I agree with this. People in that business have been dressing, acting and dancing older than their age for a LOONG time. This is nothing new. Madonna used to dress and act the same if not worse in the 80's and I remember watching her videos as young as 8 and I wasn't scarred by it. Has anyone forgotten the 60's and 70's? I remember my grandma telling me about the things my mom used to wear! It's pop culture, and the music business. She has all of these people that put this time and effort into making her a star and let's face it - sex sells and that's been the driving force behind that business for ages whether we like it or not.

To most of us it isn't "real", just because I watched Madonna and played with Barbies didn't give me a bad body image and make me want to dress like a slut. I knew what was appropriate and what wasn't because I had good parents that instilled morals in me.

All we can do is either not let our children watch it (and I definitely agree - it should not be shown after Handy Manny) or talk to our teens about it and what is appropriate and inappropriate for that age group. I don't think it does any good to make a fuss about it, things like this aren't going away so we need to use them as a teaching tool.

Edited to add a picture of my Mom and Dad that I had on my computer circa 1972. Guess how old she was? 17 about to turn 18....But this just goes to show you that teens have been dressing questionable for ages and things haven't changed too much! LOL

 

[JUJU814]

It's pop culture, and the music business. She has all of these people that put this time and effort into making her a star and let's face it - sex sells and that's been the driving force behind that business for ages whether we like it or not.
.

True! Sex sells..big time..
It's just a crying shame that they use underage minors to sell sex. Miley IS still an underage minor.

 

[JUJU814]

Wow, I know a bunch of very nice, respectable, high-honor roll 17 year olds who happen to wear short shorts and tanks that you just offended. Have you gone shopping in the last few years, take a look at a look at the summer clearnaces and see whats left over in the junior sizes if you haven't. This is the style and wearing those clothes does not make one a tramp

QUOTE]

I should have worded my post differently..dressing that way doesn't make one a tramp..but it can and often does "look" trampy IMO. I know others don't agree..that's fine. I can agree to disagree.

 

[momx2]

HaHaHaHa!!! I just had my 8 DD and DH watch the video with me. I asked DD "you know she's 17, right?" Response "Yeah, of course." "You know that's not HM, that's MC, you know the difference, right?" Response "Yes" smirking like I'm a nut. Toward the end I asked them if there was anything wrong with the video. DH said it's a little too much provacative dancing for younger ones, but agrees no different from when we were young. My DD 8 said it was "inappropriate for little kids and her. Look at their clothes..." Guess I'm doing something right!

Point is MC is not for "little kids." MC is almost an adult now. I do not find her clothing trashy, as some have said her. It is also not something a girl should were to school, but I can see 16/17 year olds like that out, in the summer. Just remember people your grandparents thought Elvis danced too provacatively! Times and trends are always changing.

Both DD and DH couldn't believe it was shown after Handy Manny, bad move!

 

[jboysen]

It just disapoints me. I was looking forward to having something fun and not "sex sells" for my girls. Its tough taking it away because it is inapprpriate. I don't care who you are. There is a whole demographic out there looking for good wholesome not hollywood type of entertainment. Too bad Miley decided she didn't want to be the one to stand out.

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

I think that so many clothes that are sold today look trashy! (Whether or not prior generations also wore risque clothes is beside the point.) And when a young woman puts that type of clothing on her body, she is sending a message. And for many of us, the message is "I dress trashy." Which in turns makes some of us wonder if she acts like one too? There are alternatives to short shorts and shirts that are too tight and too little.

And for those of us moms who want more conservative values and clothes, we are not happy with the New Miley. The problem is that HM for so long was marketed toward young girls and our daughters love her. And now that she has grown up -- and in my opinion, too much too fast -- we are having to "break" the HM/Miley habit with our children. It is frustrating.

 

[momx2]

I think that so many clothes that are sold today look trashy! (Whether or not prior generations also wore risque clothes is beside the point.) And when a young woman puts that type of clothing on her body, she is sending a message. And for many of us, the message is "I dress trashy." Which in turns makes some of us wonder if she acts like one too? There are alternatives to short shorts and shirts that are too tight and too little.

And for those of us moms who want more conservative values and clothes, we are not happy with the New Miley. The problem is that HM for so long was marketed toward young girls and our daughters love her. And now that she has grown up -- and in my opinion, too much too fast -- we are having to "break" the HM/Miley habit with our children. It is frustrating.

Wow! Don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with HM being marketed toward young girls. Yes, she was, but she was marketed toward the tween market which is generally 10 - 12. I believe MC herself was 12 or 13 when she started HM. The little girls, 6+ latched on for some reason. I personally didn't like my 6 year old liking her when she was 6, now that she is 8+ I don't really have a problem with it. Look, I don't even like MC all that much and I personally think she is going to have life long problems as an adult, but I still don't see the problem with the video (except that the network screwed up and aired it after Handy Manny).

I think your first paragraph is very judgmental. Yes, her shorts were short, but if my 17 year old wants to wear them out with friends then she will. There is so much more to worry about. The fact that short shorts make you wonder if the girl is trashy is sad IMO. If you don't like the clothing then teach your child not to wear them because you don't like them, don't teach them that people who do wear them are trashy! Honestly, other than MC's shorts being to short for my taste, I thought she looked great. Girls wear tanks and girls have ****s! I don't want to see that at school or church, but she was going dancing for pete's sake! Are bikinis also banned at your house???

Actually, when my DD 12 was younger she loved Lindsey Lohan, mainly because my DD looks a lot like her and people would always tell her that. Well, when Lohan went nuts, DD was not liking her anymore and we used that as teaching moments to learn appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Today, my DD 8 watched the video and stated that it was inappropriate for her. Good, she gets it! But I'm not going to ban MC or HM because of it. She can see that people can do appropriate things and inappropriate things. Also, what's appropriate for a 17 year old isn't appropropriate for an 8 year old or 12. If you ban, they don't learn that. I hope this makes sense because I'm confusing myself at this point.

 

[Princess_Jessie959]

I must agree with you about the new video for Miley i was flipping through the tv channels and saw the clip, and i was aww struck.......with her standing up on top of trucks.....i have that song as my ringtones, and i never would have thought that they would have shot the video like that.

 

[Tiger926]

Wow! Don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with HM being marketed toward young girls. Yes, she was, but she was marketed toward the tween market which is generally 10 - 12. I believe MC herself was 12 or 13 when she started HM. The little girls, 6+ latched on for some reason. I personally didn't like my 6 year old liking her when she was 6, now that she is 8+ I don't really have a problem with it. Look, I don't even like MC all that much and I personally think she is going to have life long problems as an adult, but I still don't see the problem with the video (except that the network screwed up and aired it after Handy Manny).

I think your first paragraph is very judgmental. Yes, her shorts were short, but if my 17 year old wants to wear them out with friends then she will. There is so much more to worry about. The fact that short shorts make you wonder if the girl is trashy is sad IMO. If you don't like the clothing then teach your child not to wear them because you don't like them, don't teach them that people who do wear them are trashy! Honestly, other than MC's shorts being to short for my taste, I thought she looked great. Girls wear tanks and girls have ****s! I don't want to see that at school or church, but she was going dancing for pete's sake! Are bikinis also banned at your house???

Actually, when my DD 12 was younger she loved Lindsey Lohan, mainly because my DD looks a lot like her and people would always tell her that. Well, when Lohan went nuts, DD was not liking her anymore and we used that as teaching moments to learn appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Today, my DD 8 watched the video and stated that it was inappropriate for her. Good, she gets it! But I'm not going to ban MC or HM because of it. She can see that people can do appropriate things and inappropriate things. Also, what's appropriate for a 17 year old isn't appropropriate for an 8 year old or 12. If you ban, they don't learn that. I hope this makes sense because I'm confusing myself at this point.

I am just going to comment on your age demographic for Hannah Montana - from what I remember it was marketed for ages 6-11. They make HM shirts in size 4, so that would definitely fit with the original marketing scheme. When she started she was 12, and acted like 12 - sometimes she even acted younger, so 6 year olds watching isn't that much of a problem as the shows were very oriented to that age group as they were very family oriented with school stuff thrown in there. Now that Miley herself is growing up (way too fast, IMHO, but I'm not her parents), the shows are focussing so much on dating, boys, etc. as that is what many teens are interested in.

Fast forward a few short years, and Miley Cyrus has gone from 16 to 25! There is now a disconnect between her characters and herself, which normally isn't a problem as that is what acting is about, but Miley has become Hannah in real life too. She doesn't just play her on TV - she actually tours as HM at her Miley Cyrus concerts. Remember, she doesn't tour as Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana. It's Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana, so she can't just drop that persona.

The other problem is that she is probably losing fans, as the original young girls who watched, have become bored, and since they too are growing up, Miley is probably hoping to attract those girls so that they remain fans. By the same token, she is also hoping to attract new fans.

I've seen Lizzie Maguire, Raven, Corey, Phil of the Future, Selena Gomez and Sonny grow up slowly and with grace - I can't say the same for Miley. The thing that people need to remember is that Miley is Hannah, so the same fans are going to more than likely follow her as Miley or Hannah. Obviously she has become bored with that, and is trying to branch out by going for a more adult look. Push up bras, skin tight shorts and heavy makeup do not make the girl, and so I would never make a judgment on her character, but they definitely are a vast difference from Hannah Montana. Maybe she is going for the multiple personality way of entertainment - Hannah is going to be one way, and Miley a whole other way. Honestly, she is not that great of a singer, dancer or actor, so I don't think she can just drop Hannah and hope to exist as just Miley. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you...

Tiger

 

[momx2]

Tiger...I agree with 90% of what you say. I too do not think she is all that great, although Party in the USA I do like. I do agree that she is trying to keep her original fan base who are growing up and she is probably really bored with HM, IMO.

Where I disagree is with the demographics. HM was a replacement for Lizzie McGuire which, IMO, was a tween show, not a child's show. Yes, they sell the small t-shirts because we buy them. I have a couple in that size (for my DDs, not me) because I allowed them to have them. I allowed them to watch HM from an early age, but I do not believe it was marketed toward my then 5 year old. It was marketed toward my early tween daughter who actually was probably 8 at the time. I think I mistated tween ages, I do believe it is 8 - 12, not 10 as I previously stated. I think that I have allowed my younger child to have her as a role model. I will still let her watch, but even she realizes that the video is not appropriate for her age group which is my whole point. Teach, don't judge and/or ban.

 

[Tiger926]

Tiger...I agree with 90% of what you say. I too do not think she is all that great, although Party in the USA I do like. I do agree that she is trying to keep her original fan base who are growing up and she is probably really bored with HM, IMO.

Where I disagree is with the demographics. HM was a replacement for Lizzie McGuire which, IMO, was a tween show, not a child's show. Yes, they sell the small t-shirts because we buy them. I have a couple in that size (for my DDs, not me) because I allowed them to have them. I allowed them to watch HM from an early age, but I do not believe it was marketed toward my then 5 year old. It was marketed toward my early tween daughter who actually was probably 8 at the time. I think I mistated tween ages, I do believe it is 8 - 12, not 10 as I previously stated. I think that I have allowed my younger child to have her as a role model. I will still let her watch, but even she realizes that the video is not appropriate for her age group which is my whole point. Teach, don't judge and/or ban.

Tiger

 

[princessmom29]

She has to grow up at some point. She cannot be a "child star" forever, and from what I am seenig is acting like a typical 16-17 year old girl. I am a high school teacher and have had to chaperone dances. Sorry, but this is the way that the average 16-17 year old girl dances/acts/flirts when mom and dad aren't watching. This is pretty much what goes on at a high school dance. She is being a typical teen. While I don't feel that is necessairly a good thing for a 6 year old to emulate I do feel that she should be allowed to grow up and move on. I din't expect her to stay 12 forever.

 

[bdiddy]

A few of you mentioned the pole dancing and I hadn't seen that and was curious so I went and watched it on youtube and can't believe people even call that "pole dancing"!! It starts at 1:10 and goes to 1:47 and one time does she hold onto it and sort of bends down toward the beginning, the rest of the time she is just holding the pole, standing next to it and singing/swaying while they push her. For 37 seconds she is on that thing and in no way does it look like to me she is "pole dancing", makes me wonder if those that think it is have every seen real "pole dancing"??

I can't imagine tweens and especially younger girls even associating that with strippers?? I mean, how would a 6 yr old know what a stripper and pole dancing is anyway? To them, she's just singing and being pushed on a cart while holding onto a pole. She's not even dancing around it or anything! I think only teens that knew would even make the association and even at that point they probably wouldn't think twice about it since she isn't doing anything provacative with it. She's not grinding, swinging, going upside down or anything?!? She's literally holding it with one hand and singing while moving her upper body back and forth next to it.

Guess, I don't see what all the fuss is about "pole dancing"?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUr2ggLlhI&feature=related

 

[Caitsmama]

Well... i read all the responses, and am not going into this in detail..

I have an (almost) 9 year old dd - and we BOTH love this song and personally, i think Miley is a GREAT singer -- i can't see how anyone can dispute that she definately has a nice voice -- listen to some of her new *Miley* music..

She can't be expected to remain HM forever - she is almost 17.. Please, i am sure most of us dressed/acted similar when we were that age -- doing things that i am sure 30-40 year olds would have surely disagreed with.. I think some people *grow up* and forget that.. yes, she is underage, but she hasn't really done anything inappropriate here.. she is dancing - and having a good time, same as lots of other 17 year olds do.. really.

Who are we to so harshly judge someone based on what they are wearing or how they dance??!! From what i can tell, she is a talented young Christian girl -- who loves where she came from, and knows where she wants to be..
Why do so many of us feel we can just rip her down on her way up?? Over clothes or the way she dances? Come on..
Raise your daughters the best you can - and i assure you - if they have a proper head on their shoulders, they will be able to grow up and listen to Miley, see her dance, shake their hips, wear some short shorts and be perfectly nice girls. Which is all we can ask for.

If you don't agree with the video, don't show your kids - turn the channel.

While it may *seem* like stars such as Selena, Demi, etc.. are "toned down" right now -- lets see where they are in 5 years.. I bet Miley will still be around.. She's trying to break out and make a name for herself, and obviously wiht 3 pages here so far talking about her and her one video in discussion - she is succeeding!

 

[princessmom29]

A few of you mentioned the pole dancing and I hadn't seen that and was curious so I went and watched it on youtube and can't believe people even call that "pole dancing"!! It starts at 1:10 and goes to 1:47 and one time does she hold onto it and sort of bends down toward the beginning, the rest of the time she is just holding the pole, standing next to it and singing/swaying while they push her. For 37 seconds she is on that thing and in no way does it look like to me she is "pole dancing", makes me wonder if those that think it is have every seen real "pole dancing"??

I can't imagine tweens and especially younger girls even associating that with strippers?? I mean, how would a 6 yr old know what a stripper and pole dancing is anyway? To them, she's just singing and being pushed on a cart while holding onto a pole. She's not even dancing around it or anything! I think only teens that knew would even make the association and even at that point they probably wouldn't think twice about it since she isn't doing anything provacative with it. She's not grinding, swinging, going upside down or anything?!? She's literally holding it with one hand and singing while moving her upper body back and forth next to it.

Guess, I don't see what all the fuss is about "pole dancing"?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxUr2ggLlhI&feature=related

you are right. Absolutely not what I would classify as "pole dancing" at all. More like holding onto a pole for support as she is being pushed on the cart and nothing more. I thought it was a really creative thing to work in to the performance.

 

[Tiger926]

Hmmm...so some of you are saying that your 16 year olds show their lacy back bras or push up bras for all to see? Also, how many of your daughter's or nieces dance on top of cars and ice cream carts with poles on them?

I guess I'm not seeing how she is a "normal" 16 year old at all? Tiger

 

[MomtoAlexnWilliam]

The title of this thread is "what do you think...." I took this to mean that the OP wanted opinions. Obviously we have a range of those here.

Wow! Don't know where to start. I guess I'll start with HM being marketed toward young girls. Yes, she was, but she was marketed toward the tween market which is generally 10 - 12. I believe MC herself was 12 or 13 when she started HM. The little girls, 6+ latched on for some reason. I personally didn't like my 6 year old liking her when she was 6, now that she is 8+ I don't really have a problem with it. Look, I don't even like MC all that much and I personally think she is going to have life long problems as an adult, but I still don't see the problem with the video (except that the network screwed up and aired it after Handy Manny).

I think your first paragraph is very judgmental. Yes, her shorts were short, but if my 17 year old wants to wear them out with friends then she will. There is so much more to worry about. The fact that short shorts make you wonder if the girl is trashy is sad IMO. If you don't like the clothing then teach your child not to wear them because you don't like them, don't teach them that people who do wear them are trashy! Honestly, other than MC's shorts being to short for my taste, I thought she looked great. Girls wear tanks and girls have ****s! I don't want to see that at school or church, but she was going dancing for pete's sake! Are bikinis also banned at your house???

Actually, when my DD 12 was younger she loved Lindsey Lohan, mainly because my DD looks a lot like her and people would always tell her that. Well, when Lohan went nuts, DD was not liking her anymore and we used that as teaching moments to learn appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Today, my DD 8 watched the video and stated that it was inappropriate for her. Good, she gets it! But I'm not going to ban MC or HM because of it. She can see that people can do appropriate things and inappropriate things. Also, what's appropriate for a 17 year old isn't appropropriate for an 8 year old or 12. If you ban, they don't learn that. I hope this makes sense because I'm confusing myself at this point.

Please don't call me judgmental then go ahead and "judge" my opinion. I have every right to feel the way I do -- the same as you. I think that skimpy clothes are inappropriate for any age. Just because so many 16-17 year old girls dress that way doesn't make it right or okay.

I will disagree with you as to what age group HM marketed to. The powers that be wanted little girls to follow her as fans. Otherwise, there would not have been merchandise in those sizes and for those ages. (dress up wigs/costumes, toys, clothes, etc.)

I am sorry that my opinion was confusing. I believe that our young girls are being highly sexualized by the media. I am doing my best to raise a daughter who dresses and acts modestly and that includes not allowing bikinis or dancing with an ice cream cart pole. At this age, yes, I do "ban" things. And she can learn from things being banned. But if and when she asks why, we will have a discussion about my reasons. Hopefully, by the time she is able to make these decisions for herself, she will do the right thing and continue to dress and act modestly.

Whether or not you (in general) agree with my position, there are people out there who do. Many employers and even colleges have been checking peoples' MySpace and Facebook prior to hire/promotion/admission. Based up on pictures (that may show provocative dress or actions) and posts, young people are being denied that hire/promotion/admission. Appearances do matter and I don't think dressing in skimpy clothes and dancing inappropriately make for a good impression.

I think Miley has been a good girl and I hope she continues! I worry about child stars and the awful track record so many have for disaster! I do not want to tear her down. But I am a mom first and she is quickly going down a path that I do not think is appropriate for my daughter to view or want to mimic. As such, the older "Miley" is greatly censored at our home.