When one thinks of a "Disney Princess", one's mind is immediately flooded with images of childhood characters such as Cinderella, Snow White and Belle. These individuals were young ladies who were presented and sold to the audience as "Positive Rolemodels for the younger generation" and managed to capture the attention and awe of many younger viewers. These characters had the complete backing of the Disney franchise and managed to bring in a lot of money for Disney.In a lot of ways young stars such as Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan could also be thought of as Disney Princesses when they were younger. In their prime, these two individuals were on top of the world. With Britney Spears a member of the "Mickey
Mouse Club" and Lindsay Lohan gaining fame through the remake, hit movie "The Parent Trap", these "Disney Princesses" were destined to fulfill all their hopes and dreams. They were generating large profits for Disney and were looked upon with adoring eyes by adults and young audiences alike. However, for the real life "Disney Princesses", their stories did not end "happily ever after". For Britney Spears, "crotch shots", marriage and head-shavings put her out of the character "Positive role model" and into a character that many people found to be controversial. A similar situation also occurred for Lindsay Lohan that also put her out of the "Rolemodel" position. Bouts with rehab, hanging out with the wrong crowd and carwrecks quickly lost the respect of adults and prevented young audiences from being allowed to watch and follow her career. Although the role of "Disney Princess" may seem glamorous and majestic at first, one has to be cautious so that they do not fall into the trap!One young teen sensation that could be argued to have "fallen into the trap" is Miley Cyrus, formerly known as Destiny Hope Cyrus and known to most of the world as "Hannah Montana". Being the daughter of One-Hit Wonder Billy Cyrus (from the Achey Breaky Heart Fame), Miley was destined to have some superstar blood flowing through her veins. At the tender age of 12, Disney picked her up, put her in her own show and she has been on top of the world ever since. From photoshoots, to movies, to successful concert tours, Miley has done a lot of things in the past 5 years of her life of which most people could never have dreamed.
Playing the part of "Disney Princess", Miley has been surrounded by much controversy. One of the lesser known controversial rumours surrounding her was that she was pregnant. In September of 2007, an internet image of Miley was circulating, stating that she was having a "Meltdown" and that she had confirmed being pregnant. The image originally was found in a J-14 Magazine article that talked about Miley's eating habits. However, controversy arised when an outside party edited the image and fabricated a story to go along with it. Although the truth about the image has now been unveiled, it was the first sign that Miley's future might not be so "Smiley".
Following the pregnancy rumours came a long line of controversies associated with pictures being taken of Miley Cyrus. In April 2008, Miley took part in a photoshoot led by acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz. In the photos, Miley appeared to have been nude, covered only by a white sheet. These photos received quite the reaction from many individuals as they thought Miley was too young to be displaying herself in such a way. Many fingers were pointed at who was to blame and the most common culprits were Disney, Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus herself. Since the controversy, Miley has apologized stating that "(She) never intended for any of this to happen and (she) apologizse to (her) fans who (she) care(s) so deeply about." She apologized... let's move on.
Many personal and "self-taken"photographs of Miley have been circulating and occurring throughout the Media for the past number of years. Most of these pictures are considered to be controversial as most of them tend to be self-taken and show Miley in Bikini's, wet t-shirts and undergarments or performing questionable actions. Although the pictures of Miley in sexual attire are far more common, one photo not showing Miley in this manner has gained far more attention than the rest. In February 2009, a picture began circulating of Miley Cyrus with her making "asian eyes". Although she claims that she was "simply making a goofy face", many people, such as The OCA (a group that helps with the advancement of social, political and economic aspects of Asian Pacific American), took great offense to the gesture.
In my opinion, I feel that many people have too much free time on their hands. In regards to the Vanity Fair Photoshoot pictures, I find many of the "anti-photo" individuals very contradictory. Many of them claim that the photos shouldn't be shown to the general public, as they are bad for the younger generation to see. Why then, do they publish the picture everywhere anyone could ever see it? Yes, they want to raise awareness about the picture, but by displaying it everywhere, the individuals are basically saying that it is "alright" to show the picture. If they never want anyone to see the photos, they should not publish the photo themselves, as by doing so they become hypocritical. In that they perpetuate the very image that they find so offensive.
In regards to the "asian eyes" photo, I believe that it has been blown out of proportion. Yes, Miley was making a suggestive facial expression, but to automatically assume that she was making an asian face is rather unintelligent. Sure, the asian person in the photo was the only one not participating in the gesture and yes, one member was displaying an even more stereotypically asian expression (Squinty eyes, along with a covered mouth and peace sign), but it is not a good decision to automatically start bashing Miley. The individuals upset with Miley were not present at the time the photograph was taken and so they are in no position to go hounding Miley for what she "has done". People need to hear the full story before they start judging others, because when people jump to conclusions too quickly, controversies occur, often creating problems that aren't necessary.
One thing that I want people like the OCA to realize is that they are trying to accomplish some good. They shouldn't abandon that goal just because some teenagers took one controversial picture. There are 7 people in that photograph and an entire race of human-beings is not going to become corrupt because of it. They should stay focused on the big picture, rather than trying to zoom in on a minute situation. Racial equality and diversity is important and if organizations such as the OCA want to change the world, they should stop "nit-picking" at small things such as the Miley photo and look at what is happening in the real world, not the world of Hollywood.
Is Miley, the 21st century "Disney Princess" headed towards the same untimely fate as those who have come before her? Perhaps when more fabricated controversies arise, society will see how Miley handles herself and the criticism and backlash associated with controversial media topics. Let us hope that as Miley matures her decisions and choices also become more mature so that she does not become another Britney or Lindsay. It will only be a matter of time before we can see if Miley will follow in the foot steps of those who came before her, or if she will live "happily ever after".
References:
"Lindsay Lohan"Wikipedia.com. 29 April 2009. 28 April 2009
"Britney Spears"Wikipedia.com. 29 April 2009. 28 April 2009 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_spears>
"Disney Princess"Wikipedia.com 29 April 2009. 29 April 2009
"Billy Ray Cyrus"Wikipedia.com. 29 April 2009. 26 April 2009
"Cyrus Defends Herself in 'Racist' Photo Fracas"ABCNews.go.com. 30 April 2009. 5 February 2009
"Asian Eyes Miley" 6 February 2009. Online Image. TheWB.com. 29 April 2009.
"Disney Princesses" No Date. Online Image. Sandersartstudio.com. 29 April 2009.
"Lindsay Lohan" 25 March 2009. Online Image. celeb9.com. 29 April 2009.
"Underwear Miley" 30 November 2009. Online Image. athensboy.com 29 April 2009.
