I 

still remember one of my 
first 
Uber 
experiences 
during high school. Hiding 
my disbelief that technology 
had allowed me inside a total 
stranger’s 
car, 
I 
stared 
at 
downtown Los Angeles rushing 
past. My feet thumped along to 
the optimistic lyrics of “Party 
in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus, 
my designated driver’s song of 
choice. Noticing my familiarity 
with his playlist, the driver 
opened his mouth to say, “Man, 
I really miss Miley before she 
went crazy.”
Since hearing that comment, I 
have heard countless individuals 
utter similar scornful remarks, 
grieving that their blonde-hair-
blue-eyed babe has now “hit 
rock-bottom” or “gone crazy,” 
amid a slew of controversies and 
lawsuits.
Gossiping is an activity that 
almost everyone indulges in, at 
least to some extent. It’s a risky 
behavior, yet also a soft skill 
that gives people something 
to talk about, especially when 
there’s some ice that needs to 
be broken. But, with the harms 

of gossiping low-to-nonexistent 
when the subject is a renowned 
celebrity, people feel entitled to 
be as brutal and provocative as 
possible; after all, there’s no way 
Britney Spears would find out 
I talked ill about her bald head 
from 2007.
The problem, however, is 
deeper than it seems: celebrities’ 
profiles are watched closely by 
their fans, and public criticism 
of drastic shifts in their image 
has an effect on their often 
young 
and 
impressionable 
audience. Given this fact, how 
celebrities choose to express 
themselves should not be met 
with pejorative backlash, but 
rather viewed as a natural part 
of their process of growth.
Cyrus first rose to fame after 
she was cast as the lead role in 
the Disney Channel television 
series 
“Hannah 
Montana,” 
an American sitcom about a 
teenage girl living a double 
life, toggling between life as 
famous 
pop 
singer 
Hannah 
Montana and life as a typical 
teenager. The extreme success 
of “Hannah Montana” landed 
Cyrus with “teen idol” status, as 
viewers worldwide celebrated 
the singer’s charming demeanor, 
catchy 
songs 
and 
iconic 

performances. While it is easy 
to assume that acquiring lots of 
money and fame at such a young 
age was a dream come true, the 
reality was anything but: Years 
after filming, Cyrus revealed in 
an episode of the podcast “Rock 
This,” that starring in the sitcom 
made her feel like “without being 
Hannah Montana no one cares 
about (her).” Indeed, following 
the transition period after her 
Hannah Montana phase, Cyrus 
succeeded in tearing down her 
teen star reputation by engaging 
in “shocking” actions including 
twerking, smoking marijuana 
and cutting off her glossy brown 
locks.
In another interview with 
Rolling Stone magazine, Cyrus 
provided an incisive description 
of how she believes the media 
portrays her: “Hair’s long and 
blond, she’s sane right now… It’s 
when her hair is painted or she’s 
growing out her armpit hair 
(that) she’s on drugs.”
How close a woman’s hair 
is to society’s definition of 
“acceptable” — i.e. long, healthy, 
flowing blonde hair — should not 
be the barometer that determines 
one’s perceived level of sanity. 
Questioning a celebrity’s sanity 
just because they choose to 

present themselves differently 
is unacceptable as it reinforces a 
stereotypical view of femininity, 
for young people in particular. 
This practice is problematic 
because 
the 
acceptance 
of 
different 
sexualities 
and 
gender expressions is essential 
for 
creating 
a 
supportive 
environment 
for 
everyone. 
This is especially true since 
comments 
about 
growth, 
gender and sexuality resonate 
with children, not to mention 
millions of adults. It is time for 
audiences to progress beyond 
traditional boy-girl norms, and 
continuing to push celebrities 
into rigid molds perpetuates 
outdated norms that counteract 
this goal. 
When skewed gender norms 
continue 
to 
permeate 
pop 
culture, the impact of these 
conversations bleeds past the 
celebrities and onto the general 
public. 
Celebrities 
influence 
the public’s understanding of 
gender and sexuality by raising 
awareness and reducing stigma. 
“The 
first 
(celebrity) 
that 
actually mattered to me who has 
since come out as not straight is 
Miley Cyrus,” singer Troye Sivan 
said. Given how the public’s 
perception of top celebrities can 

influence opinions on sensitive 
topics, continuing to perpetuate 
the narrative that Cyrus had a 
“crazy phase” increases stigma 
and stress for gender minorities, 
which is harmful to their mental 
and physical health. 
While 
one 
could 
argue 
that much time has passed 
since the media coverage of 
Cyrus and her deviation from 
Hannah 
Montana’s 
image, 
the public still reacts horribly 
to 
influential 
celebrities 
significantly modifying their 
brand. 
For 
instance, 
while 
American singer Joelle Joanie 
“JoJo” Siwa came out as part 
of the LGBTQ+ community in 
2021, Siwa still faces bigoted 
responses regarding her sexual 
identity, including from her 
own 
employer. 
In 
addition, 
while many of the singer’s fans 
and influential friends openly 
expressed their support, Siwa 
opened up about having trouble 
sleeping for days after coming 
out and struggling to accept 
myriad homophobic comments: 
“A lot of them were: ‘I’m never 
buying your merch again. My 
daughter’s never watching you 
again,’ ” Siwa said. “I couldn’t 
sleep for three days.” 
Despite 
problematic 

responses 
to 
the 
personal 
growth of influential women, 
however, society is also bending 
in the opposite direction toward 
fostering a safer, more inclusive 
environment for all. A great 
example is the generally positive 
public reception of former One 
Direction star Harry Styles, 
who is now at the center of 
numerous conversations about 
sexuality 
and 
gender-fluid 
fashion. While a minority of 
viewers 
criticize 
Styles 
for 
his alleged queerbaiting, the 
consensus still seems to be that 
such accusations are regressive 
and that Styles ought to be met 
with nothing short of support. If 
the public can clap when Styles 
rocks a flamboyant Gucci dress, 
it is difficult to understand why 
the same support cannot be, or 
was not, extended to female 
celebrities then and now. After 
all, gender identity or gender 
expression can remain the same 
or change over time, and it is 
also not uncommon for gender 
fluidity to continue indefinitely 
throughout one’s life. There 
is nothing wrong with a once-
teenage star deciding that she 
no longer fits into the narrow, 
heteronormative box defined by 
Hannah Montana. 

Stirring the Pot with Giselle is The 
Michigan Daily’s biweekly advice 
column.
“I 

have a crush on a cashier at 
my local grocery store and 
it’s becoming a problem. 
No matter what time of the day I 
go, they always seem to be there. 
This would be fine if I could handle 
myself like a normal person, but I 
seem to lose all sense of coordination 
and knowledge of speech when I 
see this cashier. Seriously, I can 
have trouble removing the items 
from my basket in a timely fashion 
when they’re ringing up my stuff, 
and my produce is at risk of severe 
bruising from being dropped due to 
the induced lack of motor control. 
I’m considering switching grocery 
stores, which would be distressing 
considering this is my favorite one. 
Do you have any advice for me?
-M”
Dear M,
Do you need a new job? If so, 
consider applying for one at this 
grocery store. It may not solve 
your previous embarrassment, but 
it would improve your produce-
handling abilities. You would also 
be forced to speak to your crush 

during training and evolve past your 
uncoordinated fumbling. Despite 
what “Love Actually” may try to 
tell you, I believe it is impossible to 
maintain a work crush for more than 
two weeks. Sooner or later, they will 
tell you a strange fact about their 
life that may immediately repulse 
you or, better yet, make you fall fully 
in love. If you manage that, you can 
quit, assuming you did not quit your 
old job. After that, you will be safe 
to buy groceries and flirt with your 
new beau at the same time! 
If a job is not what you need, 
wear headphones and sunglasses 
to the grocery store. It will seem 
rude, but if you have no interest 
in ever speaking to your grocery 
store crush, the headphones will 
discourage conversation and the 
sunglasses will mean little to no eye 
contact.
Lastly, stop buying produce! Do 
not buy anything that can be bruised 
when dropped. Try buying big 
cartons of cereal, marshmallows, 
frozen pizza or dry pasta only. 
You’re welcome <3. 
Your song recommendations are: 
“Fruit Island” by standards and 
“Vegetable Eater” by naran ratan. 
If the second song makes you feel 
uneasy, attribute it to your bruised 
produce.
“Thoughts 
on 
getting 
with 

someone in your friend group? 
(Both just hooking up and actually 
dating)
-A”
Hey A, 
Hmmmm… Go with your gut, I 
think. Why not take a chance — if 
you’re getting a vibe from them, 
ask them how they feel about 
you! I think it’s great to be friends 
with someone before you start 
something 
romantic. 
However, 
you also run the risk of destroying 
your friend group from the inside 
and never again speaking to those 
people without deep shame and 
discomfort! But honestly, why not! 
What do you really have to lose? 
In 
terms 
of 
“hooking 
up” 
versus dating, it depends on your 
relationship before making moves. 
Just be sure that you guys are on 
the same page about everything 
and there will be less of a chance for 
hurt feelings. 
I’m sorry I don’t have more advice 
for you. If you would like to imagine 
what I would say if you explained 
these 
secret 
circumstances 
in 
detail, it’s easy. Picture this: We are 
FaceTiming and I am very clearly 
not paying attention to your story. 
This isn’t because I don’t want to 
hear it, but I am just assuming we 
are close enough friends that I 
have heard this story thousands of 

times already. Before you are done 
narrating, I say, “Yeah… yeah… 
No, you should do it. Yeah…” and 
lean closer to my phone. I am on 
Instagram and I am zooming in 
on a picture. Sorry, this is my final 
answer. That’s how the lane is 
paved and the cow is milked. As a 
tree bends so shall it grow. He who 
pays the piper calls the tune. Do not 
keep a dog and bark yourself. (I’m 
still working out what that last one 
means. Am I the dog here?)
I’ve been really into proverbs 
recently, so please don’t hate me 
for it (don’t bite the hand that feeds 
you!). If my imaginary, heart-felt 
scenario is not enough for you, here 
is a Mad Libs-like website where 
you can plug in words that you think 
I would say and there you go: An 
original proverb. My favorites so far 
have been “A walnut never observes 
far from the flower” and “Anyone 
can hold the lake when the sea is 
glittering.” Beautiful! 
Your song recommendations are: 
“Something to Do in the Future” by 
Ebi Soda and “Mnemophobia” by 
Brainstory. 
PS: If you want to imagine me 
selling you something (advice), use 
this one. 
“hi gemseel,
My name is ****** ******* and i’m 
kinda a big city girl. but also like a 

little city girl. anyways my medium 
city boyfriend keeps asking me to go 
to bottomless brunch???? do u think 
he’s gay… ? my mom said i should 
reach out to a trusted source for 
help and my roommates said they 
“don’t care” so ur really my only 
resources x
-M”
Hi M, 
“Gemseel” is lovely, thank you. 
First of all, I find it very intriguing 
that you included your name but 
in asterisks? Unnecessary, but 
psychologically it got my attention. 
Secondly, 
and 
perhaps 
more 
importantly, I don’t think you 
know what “bottomless brunch” 

actually means. Think less literally 
“bottomless” and more like all-
you-can-eat. For a preset price, 
brunch foods and drinks can be 
ordered without adding to the bill. 
I think that you should definitely 
try bottomless brunch, but maybe 
also ask yourself why you didn’t feel 
comfortable asking your boyfriend 
for clarification.
Also, please get new roommates. 
They could have easily said the 
same thing and you wouldn’t have 
needed to come here. Either way, 
I wish you all the happiness with 
your boyfriend and brunch. 

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
13 — Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Design by Cassidy Brimer

Stirring the Pot: New love

No, Miley Cyrus never had a ‘crazy phase’

GISELLE MILLS
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