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Yellow Fever: Going Mustard for Venice

Wednesday, September 09, 2015
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The case of the child star turned wild: A moment to remember Miley Cyrus...

...not because she died or anything, but because any of the latest photos/videos we've seen of her are practically unrecognisable. From the "old" Miley Cyrus, that is. And by "old" I pretty much mean those good ol' Hannah Montana days. We live in a tragic world where fame is toxic, fans can be worshipers, and a paparazzi is only a snap away. Luckily for you and I, that world still seems like a fantastical thrill and probable secret ambition. You see the "stars" handling situations with impossibly perfect grace, looking effortlessly brilliant on their morning coffee run, playing dress-up with the world's most coveted designers in a fancy dress wardrobe costing thousands. But when the "stars" begin their astronomical journey from such young an age, we ought - and surely need - to take a moment to remember them in their realm of childhood innocence because it can, and does, often do a 180 in a matter of years.

I'll be first to admit that I don't have an absolute clue what "twerking" is. My going-out dance moves consist of a hilarious-slash-mortifying swimming routine. (Front crawl/back stroke/breast stroke/treading water...there's a move for it all and I'd be happy to demonstrate in person.) But I don't, and won't, twerk. I'm guessing neither would the smiley care-free old (young) Miley Cyrus. It's not just the twerking...it's the provocative dancing with the married man probs old enough to be your dad, it's the provocative dancing in front of little kids watching MTV (kids, don't watch MTV), it's the weird-please-never-do-it-again things with a foam finger. All these things are strange. But even stranger because the doer is a 20 year old girl who was, only a mere few years ago, teaching us the hoedown throwdown, in cowboy hats and not some form of latex underwear. Everything practically screams, "look at me, I've changed. This is the real me now. I've grown up." (Supposedly grown up = be "sexy".) Why is it then that young child stars, maybe particularly Disney stars, are in such a hurry to "grow up"?

I apologise for stereotyping here because this isn't the majority, it's just the ones in the spotlight. This all isn't the definitive path - look at Dakota Fanning, for example. And in some cases, it'll be more revealing clothes which are totally age-inappropriate but that's it. In other cases (the ones I am focusing on), a history of scandals will often follow the golden years, whether it's playing a controversial character in a film, sudden image shock, drug abuse, to name a few. It's trying to be as distant as possible (whether the intention is there, who know?). I see photos of 15, 16 year olds who could confidently pass for 30. Outfits even I wouldn't consider for at least another few years. Most cases aren't as extreme as the Miley VMA case study, and maybe they just have a slightly more sophisticated taste in fashion. But my point is that a 16 year old singer/actress/model etc is no typical 16 year old person. Sadly, often, they don't even have a choice.

Like I said, we live in a tragic world where fame is toxic. Your fans become obsessed with everything you do, and the paparazzi now thing you with your shoelaces undone is the best thing since sliced bread. A combination of everything plus every kind of pressure is enough to change you, or make you want to change who you are and how you are perceived, irreversibly. And whilst I am mostly shocked that Miley Cyrus is now a crotch-grabbing foam-finger-misuser who needs to cover up a bit more, I'm sad too. Because the innocent Hannah Montana character and 15 year old her has already been immortalised and will never be forgotten as long as she lives. Everyone is watching her every step, any place she treads, and every word she says. You've got to feel sorry for, and respect, how much people like Miley have had to grow up. In an actual growing up sense, not the grown up = be "sexy" way.

We're also to blame. I hold my hands up, because I am one of those people checking out the red carpet outfits on Mail Online and fueling the paparazzis' need to invade every part of a private life possible. We only get one childhood and, whilst it's all part of the tough fame game, it's still stripping you of that one childhood. Every tweet and conversation beginning with "OMG did you hear about Miley?" is adding a battery for that spotlight, and every negative comment a match for lighting the fuse. Where does that fuse lead to? In Amanda Bynes's case it was desperately bleak. But saying this, we're doing it again. If you knew what I meant by "Amanda Bynes's case", you've already invaded her private life by knowing and speculating. Myself included. We care but maybe we shouldn't have cared in the first place because we shouldn't have known in the first place. Often it's caring about the story, the gossip, and not the person. Why? Because we don't know the person in the first place and we never did. We see the interviews and the media portrayal, but unless you have Miley Cyrus on speed dial and have an invite to her wedding, you probably don't know her.

I don't really know where I'm going with this. It's more a compilation of rambled thoughts rather than a planned piece of writing where I have a conclusion or had an outcome before I began typing. All I can really end on is that I hope, behind the stage outfits and dance routines and tattoos, Miley Cyrus is still Miley Cyrus. Perhaps not the little girl we all once recognised from the telly, but that she is her own person and not a trapped by pressure, pressure and more. She's not a 12 year old girl in a sequin sparkly jacket any more It also make me hugely grateful that I - not a big production company or agent or media frenzy - owned my own childhood. The only spotlight was the one in the school nativity play where I was a dove in a stable. And the only photos were the goofy ones only my family will be able to laugh at in our family albums. You can only hope that these stars, who begin their career at such a young age, will be alright at the end of the day.

Saturday, August 31, 2013
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The case of the child star turned wild: A moment to remember Miley Cyrus...

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