Miley Cyrus: Yes I'm even talking about her.

It won't be what you expect so give this article a chance! Miley Cyrus has been all over the news lately, with every self-important asshole (including me) weighing in on her actions and what it all means for future generations. However I, unlike most of the self-important assholes out there, think she's hitting the right nervous buttons, which is why everyone is talking about her. The truth is that we are still living in a society that doesn't view men and women to be sexually equal. It is amazing how many people I saw on Facebook post Sinead O'Conner's "Open Letter to Miley," which essentially calls her a prostitute and assumes that all executive decisions about Miley's career are made by older pedophiles. That's a bit unfair, isn't it?

Is it really hard for our society to think that perhaps a twenty year old girl chooses to openly show her sexuality and be unapologetic for it? Why must there always be an older predatory man behind it all. I'm not saying that the music business isn't jaded and that, unfortunately, this kind of thing doesn't happen where younger girls are abused and thrown away when they are no longer relevant. Of course it does. But the point is that people are so quick to assume that that must be the case in every situation, because girls are known as innocent beings who cannot possibly possess a need to be openly sexual unless forced into doing so. 

What is more amusing is that all of this talk about her sexuality came about from a performance that wasn't even all that sexual. She wore the most outrageous outfit with the silliest hair, and somehow that made her into a whore? I doubt she was going for "sexy."  Now imagine a naked guy with the same hair and silly bear outfit. Why is that funny, but Miley's rendition of it is sexual? It's incredibly sad that a woman gets so much scrutiny for her actions, especially when it has to do with her taking chances, and being a bit outrageous. Not all women have to be classy, nor do they have to be covered up completely or naked completely, they don't have to be apologetic, or humble, or submissive, or dominant, or or or...

The idea of equality isn't about making a mold of a woman that is ideal for one person. It's about allowing room for all of the different possibilities without looking down upon them. It's about letting people figure themselves out without forcing them into a category of "right" or "wrong", especially when it has to do with self-identity.