From straddling a giant hot dog to stuffing a fan’s used thong into her mouth and kissing Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus’ “Bangerz” tour is filled with more than enough crazy antics to separate the young pop sensation from her previous Disney persona. Hannah Montana has obviously hung up her wig.
Parents who’ve accompanied their preteens to this predictably scandalous concert have accused Cyrus of corrupting her young fans and have demanded refunds and the cancellation of the tour.
But, seriously, after Cyrus’s controversial “Blurred Lines” performance on MTV’s Video Music Awards, what did these parents expect? If they did not want to expose their children to an awkward performance of racy content, they should have known not to buy tickets.
Ever since her infamous twerking episode, Cyrus’s goal has been to rid herself of her America’s sweetheart “good girl” Disney image as drastically as possible. Maybe parents hoped that she would tap into old Cyrus when they bought tickets for their young Disney Channel fans.
This assumption was obviously too optimistic. It is not Cyrus’s responsibility to be considerate of possible younger audiences. She is not a role model and doesn’t aim to be. If she did, she could have taken notes from
Hillary Duff and illustrated her progression into maturity more gracefully than sexual innuendos with Robin Thicke.
Besides, to be mindful of her younger fans, Cyrus would have to go completely against her new public image. The old Cyrus was wholesome and down-to-earth, and she even mentioned in an interview that she would never be involved in drugs. The new Cyrus promotes and is associated with all things inappropriate. Her songs are laced with drug references. She wants to appeal to older audiences and promote debauchery, but any hint of “good girl” Cyrus would ruin her credibility. Hence, her previous albums aimed to promote adult themes and mature content but failed because she was still associated with her “Hannah Montana” image.
Really, it is the parents who should be liable for the content their children are exposed to, not Cyrus. Cyrus warned parents and young fans that her “Bangerz” tour might not be suitable for younger audiences through all of her controversial media attention and crazy antics. Besides, the name of the tour is “Bangerz.” Even if parents are completely unaware of Cyrus’s transformation, they should always research musical artists before purchasing tickets. The first link to pop up on Google when you search “Miley Cyrus” should be evidence enough that the “Bangerz” tour might not be suitable for a middle schooler.
Cyrus is free to present herself in whatever way she wishes. If parents do not like the idea of taking their 12-year-old children to see her simulate oral sex on a Bill Clinton impersonator, they should not have purchased tickets. Same goes for the kids; even though it must be amazing to have parents that cool enough to let him or her go see Cyrus in concert despite all of the highly publicized controversy, I cannot imagine a more traumatizing and awkward experience than a preteen watching Cyrus twerk around in a marijuana leaf body suit with his or her parents. The child or teen should have considered this before requesting tickets, but, in the end, it is the parents who typed their credit card information into Ticketmaster.
As Cyrus argued on Twitter, “You can’t say I didn’t warn you!”
