Miley Cyrus, Vanity Fair Photos and an Apology to Fans

Teen star Miley Cyrus, 15, has issued an apology to fans for her "racy" photos in Vanity Fair Magazine. Miley Cyrus, who is a tween idol, musician and TV star, is not the first teen star to be embroiled in photo controversy. Recently, Lindsay Lohan, a former child star herself, also posed for racy photos in New York Magazine. Another element in this controversy is Annie Leibovitz, who was also at the heart of the recent LeBron James/Vogue photo controversy.

Miley Cyrus in a Blanket

The Vanity Fair photos of the teenager include one of Miley in just a blanket.

Next to the photo it reads, "Disney's Hannah Montana star tells VF: "I think it's really artsy. It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie."

This shows that Vanity Fair makes no apologies for pulling a power play over the young teen star.

Miley Cyrus Apologizes to Fans

"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Miley Cyrus told People Magazine.

This shows that the adults involved really failed Miley Cyrus and her public reputation.

Where the Adults Failed

Miley Cyrus is a teen, and a parent or adult guardian should have been supervising the photo shoot. Someone should have spoken up and not allowed Miley Cyrus to be topless on the set. Photographer Annie Liebowitz and Vanity Fair have both crossed a line.

Miley Cyrus and her professional handlers should know that removing a top is not a good idea, even if nothing will be showing in the photos. Both Miley Cyrus and her handlers dropped the ball on maintaining Miley Cyrus' pristine and innocent teen image.

Why Parents Will Stop Buying Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana Merchandise

Miley Cyrus dropped the ball on maintaining her image. Parents have very little tolerance these days for innocent pop stars turned sexy. It happened with Britney Spears, Zoe Spears, and Lindsay Lohan. So far Hillary Duff and Amanda Bynes are on the right track of setting good examples.

One way to stop supporting teen idols who turn down the wrong path is to stop purchasing their merchandise. Here are five reasons why parents will stop buying into the innocent Miley Cyrus marketing machine and stop buying Hannah Montana products:

1. Miley Cyrus is no longer perceived as innocent.

With these racy Vanity Fair photos Miley Cyrus has made the move from tween idol to teen boy fantasy. Miley has crossed a line of innocence from which no pop star can return. This is the same thing that happened with Britney Spears, former tween pop idol, who purposefully sexed it up to break out of her mold.

2. The Miley Cyrus image is no longer seen as positive.

Miley Cyrys has built her reputation and following on her talent and her broad appeal. Until this recent stunt with the racy Vanity Fair photos, she had been doing a good job ofmaintaning a positive image.

3. Miley Cyrus is not being a responsbile role model.

Miley Cyrys may be 15, but she should also take some responsibility for her actions. She knows that millions of tween girls look up to her. She knows her fan base is extremely young. She needs to takeresponsibility for acting respectably and remaining modest about her body. Removing your top for a camera is not a way for a teen girl to act.

4. Parents of tween girls want to keep them as innocent as possible for as long as possible.

Supporting a tween idol who brings sexuality to the mix is not the best way to keep tween girls innocent.

5. These photos set a bad example.

When the idol of tweens starts selling sex, it's time for parents to find a new, innocent tween idol.

Sources

People Magazine
Tween Parenting, personal experience
Vanity Fair, http://www.vanityfair.com