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Miley Cyrus’s raunchy VMAs performance Shocks Everyone, draws complaints
Miley Cyrus’s racy performance at the MTV Video Music Awards drew criticism from a parental pressure group in the United States.
REUTERS
MTV was chastised by the media watchdog group for “marketing sexually charged messages to young children using former child stars.”
Conservative fury is nothing new for MTV’s skin-studded red-letter night, as the New York Times points out. It’s hardly the first time a former child star has writhed in flesh-toned underwear. Cyrus is not only the formerly family-friendly Hannah Montana: she is also the daughter of country artist Billy Ray Cyrus, who serves on the Parents Television Council’s advisory board.
He is unlikely, though, to have been a party to the complaint, which also chastised MTV for broadcasting a condom commercial during the performance.
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PTC Director of Public Policy Dan Isett said of Cyrus’s crude stage show, in which she simulated sex acts at every turn (grabbing her crotch, sticking out her tongue, bending over in front of Robin Thicke, and acting inappropriately with a foam finger) while prancing around in a nude bikini, “MTV continues to sexually exploit young women by promoting acts that incorporate ‘twerking’ in a nude-colored bikini. How is this image of former child star Miley Cyrus appropriate for 14-year-olds?”
Image Source: Getty / Jeff Kravitz
“The Miley Cyrus/Robin Thicke performance simply substituted talent with sex,” said Advisory Board member Paul Porter.
He said that MTV’s parent company, Viacom, had “obviously broken” its own rules “for financial gain.”
Billy Ray Cyrus’ reaction was more ambiguous. In the hours following the VMAs, he tweeted, “Thanking God for so many blessings tonight. Continue to pray for world peace. More love … less hate.” But the 52-year-old later explained that he wasn’t referring to Miley’s performance: he was talking about Syrian war crimes. “FYI … late last night I was watching devastating news out of Syria,” he wrote. “Chemical weapons used on innocent children is unacceptable!”
Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur
Taylor Swift, for one, was unprepared for all of Miley’s jelly. According to hollywoodlife.com, cameras recorded her in moments of disbelief throughout the whole over-sexualised act, at one point even stealing a friend’s drink to wash down her befuddlement. Drake kept his head down, possibly unable to see the lunacy unfolding in front of him. When the camera swung across to Rihanna and Harry Styles, their expressions were glazed over, as if to say, “Um, what?”
The PTC was formed to “ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media,” according to their website.
Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur
Image Source: Getty / Kevin Mazur
