A Rant: Miley Cyrus, Thigh-High Boots, and the Fetishization of Youth

Oh no! Miley Cyrus looks vaguely mature in the August edition of Elle—cue the outrage!

At 16, is Miley too young to be posing “provocatively,” as she does in this feature? Riddle me this,  universe: what is the proper age to don thigh-high boots and a push-up bra in a national publication? Can you imagine the uproar if Elle had photographed an older woman, say Helen Mirren or Judi Dench, in similar attire?

Our culture has fetishized youth. We worship it. Women undergo surgery and inject toxins into their faces to maintain lineless complexions. They wax their nether regions to a pre-pubescent smoothness. Youth and attractiveness are coveted and prized to an insane extent, but a young woman wearing form-fitting black clothes—you know, being youthful and sexy—is somehow crossing a line? Forgive me if I find Botox a far more insidious force than Hannah Montana’s cleavage. 

Sure, these photos aren’t exactly congruent with the squeaky-clean way she’s normally packaged. But so what? Is it so shocking that, at 16, she might want to be portrayed in the media in a more adult fashion? After all, she's been working full-time for years. In many ways, she is an adult. And didn’t we all spend significant portions of our teen years trying really desperately to be viewed as grown-ups?

I'd much rather see a teen star wearing sophisticated clothes in an attempt to look sexy and mature than following that time-honored tradition of posing in lingerie for Maxim. (Hello, double standard! Where are the pictures of Justin Timberlake stripping to prove his readiness to move beyond boy bands?)

All that said, I'm troubled by the pervasive conflation of sexuality with maturity. Can't we have the "not a kid anymore" story without the requisite trying-hard-to-be-risqué photo shoot? (Sorry, Elle. It's just so predictable.) Even so, the downright hypocrisy of a society that so treasures sex appeal but condemns women for cultivating it is far more damaging than a glimpse of Miley’s decolletage ever will be.

Comments

[jennifer]

Absolutely brilliant post. Simple, to the point, and effective. A sociology abstract really. I totally agree, of course!

[Dora]

Americans (more than other people) seem to be really conflicted on whether it's "allowed" for 16 year olds to be sexual beings or whether one is allowed to view them as such. If you have nekkid pics of a 16 year old on your computer, you're a criminal, but fashion models look (and sometimes are) 16 or even younger, while actual 16-year-olds are getting pregnant by the millions.

[Dee]

I believe the main problem people have with Cyrus, is that they see Cyrus but their mind thinks 13 year old Hannah. They do not want her to grow up. There are models younger, posing more sexually, but no buddy cares.
It's time people realize that she has to grow up being herself, not someone they think she should be. Forcing her to be someone else is a sure recipe for future disaster.

[stacey]

Agreed.

[flo]

Amen Wendy!
This just keeps bringing me back to the fact that people live in fear.
Fear of change
fear of sexuality
fear of difference
fear of reality
you name it.
I think Miliey looks adorable, and I am
not a fan, I am not a pediphile and I am not gay so there.

[Debra Snider]

Well written, on-the-money post as always. I am so glad you're back!

[Kay P]

(1) I am sure Miley Cyrus and other teens in 'the biz' have grown up more than their same age peers, but it doesn't mean she is an adult. Nor does working make you an adult. Being grown up is not something that happens overnight, it is a long and gradual process which requires relatively constant effort and attention.

(2) I agree with you that being mature/adult/grown up/etc has nothing to do with cleavage and thigh high boots.

(3) Older women obsessed with youth are no different from younger women obsessed with being sexually attractive. Both groups feel they lack something, and so throw their everything into attaining it.

That being said, it's a well composed cover shot and Miley still looks like a young girl.

[ckale]

Hello, double standard! Where are the pictures of Justin Timberlake stripping to prove his readiness to move beyond boy bands?
Rolling Stone Cover 2003 (http://bit.ly/Dh3za)

Not that I disagree with your column, but that photoshoot is burned in my soul, so I thought I'd share the cover.

[Beth]

Personally, what bothers me about these types of photos is the fact that women have no other look to aspire to but SEXY. And by photographing 16 year old girls posing provocatively in various states of undress, it tells other young girls they are not worthy of attention unless it is of a sexual nature. What ever happened to looking like a beautiful young woman? There is no shame in modesty but you wouldn’t know it from the media today. We are raising our girls to seek fulfillment by becoming a 24/7 sex objects. That’s not right.

[laylaness]

Is it just me, or does this feel like a rehash of Vanity Fair?

[dinghy]

"All that said, I'm troubled by the pervasive conflation of sexuality with maturity. Can't we have the "not a kid anymore" story without the requisite trying-hard-to-be-risqué photo shoot?"

I think that alone justifies the outrage. It's perfectly normal that she should want to appear more grown up, but why is it that for a woman, to be grown up = to be sexy ? and not to be intelligent/talented/whatever ?

[Jess]

ckale - You beat me to it, that shirtless JT shoot was everywhere, right before his debut album came out :D Still, I totally agree with this whole post.