How Miley Cyrus Won And Lost All At The Same Time

I saw the news today that Miley Cyrus' new song is number one on the Billboard charts.  Huh.  Am pretty sure that just affirmed for her that her raunchy performance on the recent VMA's was a good thing to do. Let's review....bad behaviour = good outcome.  These are not the lessons I want my kids to learn but there are millions of kids (teens only hopefully) around the world who saw that performance and now see that her career is being rewarded.  Add Miley to the group of young woman who have achieved success based on baring their bodies and pushing the envelope when it comes to sexual behaviour.  I don't even have to list them here - you all know who they are.

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So score one for Miley.  At least in her mind anyway.  After I heard about her Billboard success today, I googled her recent video for her new song, "Wrecking Ball".  Uhhhh....whoa.  She is doing provocative moves with a sledgehammer (that famous tongue of hers makes another appearance) and is naked through most of the video.  What the what??  Honestly, I only watched half of it and had to turn it off.  I just shook my head in sadness and honestly, in disgust.  How can she think that this is a good presentation of who she is?

And so the title of this blog post was born.  Technically I guess she won - she's got a number one hit, she's all over social media, I guess she has a lot to celebrate.  But eventually she will see this as a loss.  My fear is that it may be too late.  It will be after people stop talking about her, after the 'yes people' that are surrounding her move on to the next big thing, after she is left with no foundation or safe place to land. Media have already put out stories that she is the 'next meltdown waiting to happen', following in the recent footsteps of Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes.  And the same common question is appearing in the media...where are her parents?  I know she is 20 years old so I guess that questions should be 'where were her parents' in those foundation building years to teach this girl self worth and self confidence?

With reports saying that most kids say they want to be famous when they grow up, Miley Cyrus's success is scary for a parents.  This is who kids will be looking up to for career ambitions?  I hope not. The only silver lining (although not for these Hollywood starlets) is that the rate at which the downward spirals of young stars is occuring is only picking up speed.  And while I feel for their parents, and their families, I hope that everyday youth will begin to see that they fame they think they want is nothing like it really seems.