by Conny Manero

Created on: July 30, 2010

Britney Spears used to be the role model of thousands of young girls, the secret dream of thousands of young boys and the little darling of their mothers the world over.  She was cute, she was wholesome and her songs were entertaining.  And then Britney grew up.

The lyrics of her songs became shocking, her costumes provocative and her behaviour in general was considered socially unacceptable.  Britney was desperate to shed the little girl image and her transition into womanhood was met with resistance.

It would seem that Miley Cyrus is following in her footsteps.  At age seventeen, Miley is no longer a child star and wants to shed the imagine of Hannah Montana. 

The release of her video release “Can’t be tamed” was greeted with mixed emotions by fans.  Some expressed they liked it, some downright hated it, while some compared Miley Cyrus to Lady Gaga.

The heavy make-up, the elaborate costume and the provocative pole dancing didn’t sit well with her fans.  The majority seems to think that while the video was well done, it is not appropriate for a 17 year old.

Miley Cyrus stated, when asked to comment on the video, "The video isn't about being sexy or about who can wear less clothes. It's about explaining the song and living the lyrics."

While Lady Gaga has the maturity and the persona to get away with barely there costumes and fans have come to expect this kind of entertainment from her, Miley fans do not seem quite ready to see the young pop star turn herself into a sex symbol.  They think her too young to expose her body and take advantage of her sexuality to win fans.

Taking risks is nothing new for ex Disney stars.  Both Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus posed topless in the magazine Vanity Fair, a photo shoot that was considered controversial.  While Britney was 16 at the time, Miley Cyrus was only 15.

This is not the first time Miley decided to take her clothes off.  Remember the much discussed shower scene?  Miley claimed that this was strictly for the benefit of her boyfriend, but the video was ‘leaked’ on-line.

Miley Cyrus is indeed the caterpillar who wants to spread her wings and escape her cocoon, but are her fans ready for Miley as a butterfly?

Britney Spears tried it, burned her wings and fell from grace.  I guess time will tell if Miley Cyrus is different from Britney Spears. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxg5LiycpDY

Learn more about this author, Conny Manero.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.