Sexy sells, and to the multi-billion-dollar media industry, it doesn’t really matter how young the target demographic may be. So it’s no surprise that the top story on Yahoo’s Buzz the past 24 hours has all the elements: Celebrity, scandal, a famous photographer, a partly naked, very young pop star, and a magazine’s “exclusive” interview.
So, what’s all the fuss about? Until fairly recently, unless you happen to be the parent of a daughter around the ages 6-14, you might have been forgiven for missing the hullabaloo surrounding Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana.
But now, thanks to the controversial photos taken by Annie Liebovitz in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, anyone who’s not stranded on a ice field in Antarctica knows who this kid is, if not necessarily her hit song, “Best of Both Worlds,” which is frequently the soundtrack in my house when I am cooking my kids dinner.
The song celebrates this wholesome 15-year-old’s secret life as a superstar while also remaining a “normal” high school girl. You can’t help wondering whether she’ll soon issue a remix, “The Worst of Both Worlds” on YouTube, where she’s already posted number of odd videos of herself.
Miley is the daughter of former country singer Billy Rae Cyrus (perhaps you’ll recall his “Achy-Breaky Heart”), is estimated by Portfolio (Conde Nast) to be “on track” to be worth $1 billion by the time she’s 18. Her sold-out rock concerts are the closest thing to a reincarnation of the Beatles since, well, since the Beatles.
Her TV show, which features guests like “Auntie” Dolly Parton, a family friend, also portrays the young singer happily growing up under the watchful eye of a single father, who conveys an obvious and deep affection for his daughter. It’s all heart-warming stuff.
In order to promote its upcoming issue, Vanity Fair has posted the cover shot of Miley wrapped partly in a satin cover and wearing an innocently sultry expression, staring back at the camera — or in fact, at Annie Liebovitz, probably the best celebrity photographer in the biz.
On its website, Vanity Fair has also embedded a video clip of the photo session, containing some sweet clips of Miley and her Dad, and barely hinting at the smoldering teenage sexuality that Liebovitz has captured. So, here we have a billion-dollar franchise, Hannah Montana; the Disney Empire, which has the hottest kid actor on its hands since Shirley Temple; and Conde Nast all claiming a piece of the ever-growing Miley pie.
The War of the Press Releases ensures that the unfolding narrative of the drama remains in the public’s eye for a while. First, Miley said she loved the photo, and that it was “artsy.” Then, facing critics who questioned how a child star could be “manipulated” into posing for sexy photos, she reversed course, and said she is “embarrassed” by the photos. Vanity Fair, and then Leibovitz, rushed in to say that her father and/or her “minders” were present throughout the shoot. Readers have weighed in, with 77 percent of 70,000 respondents telling People magazine pollsters that the photos are “inappropriate.”
As the headlines keep flying, even the staid old New York Times got into the act, reporting breathlessly on the “topless photos in Vanity Fair; only to retract that headline error later, since she is in fact “backless” in the cover shot. This story may have legs for another 24 hours or so, but after that, you can expect everybody in on the act to kiss and make up — as they cry all the way to the bank.
