I’m late to the party. In fact, I’ve missed the party altogether, but I can’t ignore the remnants of MTV’s Music Video Award clips strewn across my Facebook feed like empty bottles of beer.
The boob butt parades of shock and awe have varied from Beyoncé’s sexy, wide-eyed, Bob Fosse silhouette, to Taylor Swift’s apologetic prairie curls that are deemed acceptable for men of all ages. We even admire the circus flying dude-lady act...because even though you are part dude Pink, you are still a lady. And that is sexy.
In Miley Cyrus’s attempt to leave her sexual sweat stain on music made for TV… sexy got ugly. And ugly is never sexy. They are mutually exclusive. The only time these two qualities are capable of working together is in a transformation "ugly duckling" style.
And yet, I do not blame you Miley Cyrus for your talentless time consuming fodder. Nor would I expect you to be responsible for the minds of young women anywhere. Truth be told, I applaud your exhibition. This is what we’ve done to you. Yes, the royal we. The collective consciousness that allowed for you (as a child) to be saturated by both adoration and judgment is ugly and coincidentally wildly inappropriate. You've been applauded and praised for something that is not of you but a vehicle that was created for you by a team of adults nearly a decade ago.
Of course you feel ugly. Lashing out in prostrating gestures. Tonguing us erratically. Violating your audience with your body. Naked for the world to see. There isn’t a part of you that you can call your own. I would be angry too.
