by Zack Mandell

Created on: January 05, 2011

Miley Cyrus is a rarity in today’s entertainment industry. Having just turned 18, she’s one of the few teen superstars who have managed to act their age in light of the tremendous pressure.  Above all else she appears grounded, and for someone in her shoes this would be hard. Before legally becoming an adult, Miley Cyrus amassed a reported billion dollar empire with her “Hannah Montana” show and subsequent singing career. In 2010 she began to show some womanly tendencies, strutting onstage in sexier outfits and wearing more makeup than her fans were accustomed to seeing. Some supporters were disappointed, feeling that their original sweetheart had given in to the pressures of Hollywood and abandoned her roots. Nothing could be further from the truth however.  

Miley Cyrus has shown that like other teenaged girls, she has many layers. In a 2009 article, WSJ Journal writer Marisa Meltzer states that the 18-year-old pop star provides fans with “a liberating alternative where girls don't need to define themselves quite so narrowly.” Indeed Miley does not stick to a certain look, nor does she profess to be perfect. She accepts that she’ll make mistakes because she’s human, and that’s an endearing quality for anyone to have.

Inevitably, Miley is entering adulthood. While she embraces her sexuality just a tiny bit, she has behaved like an angel when compared to other pop superstars with similar opportunities. She has yet to make out with other girls onstage, and more importantly, she does not engage in reckless behavior in public. Miley’s most offensive activity to date was displayed in a video clip that hit the web in early December. In the footage that sparked widespread disappointment, the 18-year-old singer is taped by a “friend” as she hits a bong in a room full of people. After inhaling some smoke, she acts giddy and laughs repeatedly. Most people who have seen the clip believe strongly that Miley and her friends were smoking marijuana, though responding reports from the Cyrus camp contended that it was Salvia, a substance still legal in the U.S.  The infamous bong-smoking video was a shock to parents, though I’m not entirely sure why. We might not want to admit it, but a majority of today’s teenagers experiment with marijuana at one point or another. It’s hard to imagine the number of drug-related opportunities Miley has had while in Hollywood. Given her

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