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
Advice Columnist
SO JIN JUNG
Opinion Columnist
Nut hunting not union busting
Opinion
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
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