The purported appeal of all this is that Miley continues life as a “normal” kid while also living the life of a superstar. “What a role model!” American parents exclaim. She doesn’t lose her grip on what’s real.
But real-life parents have. See, the problem with all this is that one of Miley’s TV identities is real and one is not – and the real one is not the one everyone is in love with. She’s a good actress, so she can convince you that those normal-girl high school hijinks are reflective of her real life. But they’re not. Someone wrote them for her. It’s not the way she lives.
The real Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana without the blonde wig. She is not a role model for your kids or anyone else’s, because she is a music superstar, and your kids are not. And they won’t be. They’ll be accountants or Taco Bell employees. They’re not going to pack arenas and they’re not going to have anyone to write lines for them so they can pretend they’re normal kids.
So when parents get upset because Miley poses for completely inappropriate photos at the age of 15, because she’s a “role model,” their premise is as much a part of the problem as she is. A similar controversy erupted during her tour when someone figured out that a body double was used during a brief moment when Miley and “Hannah” were on the stage at the same time.
People were actually upset, because, you know, “Our kids look up to her.”
Good grief.
Miley Cyrus may or may not be going the way of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. I certainly hope not. She has her dad nearby to guide her. Then again, she has her dad nearby to guide her.
But as a parent, you have to know it’s a possibility. So if your kids like Hannah Montana, by all means, let them watch it and watch it with them. That little twerp Rico is hilarious. But tell them it’s a TV show, it’s not real and Miley is not a “normal kid.” Then when she disappoints them, they’ll be able to bravely soldier on.
As for you, well, you can always wallow in Macaulay Culkin nostalgia. Actually, never mind.
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