Miley Cyrus Causes a Sensation By Posing Topless In Vanity Fair

I had a hard time painting 15-year old Miley Cyrus because when one stares at her for a long time, she looks like a chubby cheeked child one minute, and then seconds later, she appears as a hung-over, hard-bitten, 20-something party girl waking up in the bed of a stranger and in bad need of a shower. Do I paint her looking innocent, or do I pick up on the overt sexuality simmering through her come-hither gaze? I was never able to make a decision. I'm quite curious of your opinions about Miley's Vanity Fair photo shoot - is it kandy koated kiddie porn or simply an artistic portrayal of a young girl seeking the spotlight? Medium: liquid pencil, watercolor, acrylic, ink on paper, digital color. Larger detail here.

Comments

[frewt]

I'm totally ambivalent about the photo. I think its neither art nor porn. Just another overly contrived pic of a talentless little tart. Your art is much more interesting.

[rld90]

I hated her vanity fair shoot..this is just a girl, a CHILD, and her parents have her posing naked ALREADY, probably thinking it looked like "art" and not instead like a dead girl with just a touch of trash..she did kinda look like that girl from the ring though..the dead one..

[BlackbeltBetty]

LMAO. Love the heading and the expressions on the toons!

[MandyPandy]

How bout 'a candy coated cry for attention'? Eh. There's nothing even remotely sexual about about the entire pictorial, or the picture in question. This would be of no interest to anyone, with the exception (perhaps) of Lewis Carol.

I think she looks like the 'Gollum'.

[Dian]

I'm from Malaysia where we are nonetheless heavily flooded by Hollyweird news and I believe everyone is familiar with the latest on PH, Brit Brit, flashing coochies etc.

I... think the Miley Cyrus shot was artistic and tasteful. It was not oversexed like Hannah Montana but um, I said this before at dlisted, it has a "girl with the pearl earring" ring to it. Unintentional allure of innocence? I like.

[Harper]

I think that everyone is making a bigger deal out of this than they should...you see 12 year olds in bikinis at the beach, so whats really the difference? She's just overeager for spotlight and made a mistake. If she was a talented actress or did something that takes skill, then this would probably be more "artistic" to more people than it is right now. But all she does is a disney show, so this looks really trampy.

[Papa-Bear]

I think they are attractive, and any smuttiness is in the eye of the beholder.

On the other hand, she seems to be preparing herself for marketability as an adult, and wanted to stir up some controversy. Sad she couldn't wait a little longer.

[Vern]

Is calling it "artistic" a nice way of saying:
"unflattering"?

[alex]

I've never heard of liquid pencil before, I am intrigued.

[Olivai]

In all honesty, I think everyone is overreacting. If she was wearing a backless dress, no one would have blinked. If she was a few years older, it would have been a celebrated shot. Her breasts are completely covered by the sheet. The most suggestive thing about the photo is the look she's giving the camera and that is not something that was created or manipulated. It's actually downright tame compared to the shots her peers were doing at the same age. I find two things far more disturbing than this photo: 1) that she apologized for it, which means she is either already a master at manipulatng the media at her young age, or she is completely under the control of the Disney machine and 2) the Calvin Klein perfume-esque photos she took with her father.

[Lucy]

I definitely think it looks weird and like some kind of kiddie porn. I've only seen that one picture but to me she looks like she was just "abused." Blech!

[deanna]

i think annie just snapped it like she saw it. another kid being pimped out by disney.
i guess one day i'll be blocking the disney channel the way things are going.

i liked your choice! like the portrayal as well! im glad you are back! :)

[FrenchGirl]

I'm with you on this. I can't decide one way or the other myself. It's a bit creepy how she looks like a child and a strungout sex object at the same time. One thing however is certain, your art is amazing. I'm glad that you're back!

[Dr. L.]

You nailed it, as did Annie Leibovitz. Miley is a both/and. The other photo with her father is equally as creepy. "Family associations as entertainment/porn."

[Shannon]

Another brilliant creation 14! This made me laugh out loud!

[Eize]

The one where she lies against her Dad brought on the creeps, but Miley's photoshoot is NOTHING compared to this:

http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/22916520.html

The Hogans are gross!

[Laura @ Hungry and Frozen]

Whether it's art or porn, what I found odd is that she is apologising for a pre-meditated photoshoot. It's not like this is something taken on a camera phone - it was Annie Leibowitz for heaven's sake. So, she knew it was happening and now she's all like, "I had no idea it was happening?"

There's something about it that reminds me slightly of that quite famous painting, with the young girl and the broken pitcher...which makes it more artistic in my mind. Still, equating Hannah Montana with creativity in my mind is a bit difficult. I like your take on it, personally 14 :)

[Jeff]

She looks like the poster for Les Miserables, so I'll go with artistic.

[Jen]

I do think the pic has that "I just got laid" vibe to it. If they wanted to put her in a cute backless top, its one thing. But the sheet...You guys get the idea.

Having said that, Miley knew EXACTLY what she was doing. She has been in the business for years now and she is playing the media like a cheap fiddle. Good on her, I say. Swim with sharks and you better have a nice sharp set of teeth yourself.

[lydia]

She does look like Gollum, she is quite unpleasant looking, dresses and poses like a skank, and it seems her parents are not doing their job in creating boundaries. Excellent art 14, you capture her perfectly. The photo may inded not show her breast , yet it is all in the eyes, and the suggestive pose, come hither for intercourse, intercourse.

[littlerobotgirl]

I am a little confused as to what everyone else was doing as a 15 year old. I don't quite remember the part where I was lounging around with my father as he gazed lustfully at me while my head slid further down into his lap. Annie Leibovitz is a brilliant woman, but I did not like this shoot. She looks like a girl being pressed into a sensuality she does not possess. She is no nymphlet, as Humbert would put it. Why didn't they just continue the disney pictures that have come out as of late? Wouldn't she make a cute Belle? Why is she in Vanity Fair anyway? Who really wants to read about Billy Incest Cyrus or this poor girl? By the way, I don't think it's the backless that is as shocking as the 'bedroom eyes' look/pose. She seems to do that a lot lately.

No one is helping her to discern right and wrong. My parents/grandparents would never have let anyone order me to take off my top for a picture, nor would they let me sit in my room with a web cam and a boy on my own.

Your painting definitely caught the dichotomy of a little girl pressed into an adult role.

[Salmonella]

What is the big deal? Or more importantly, why is she everywhere? She and her family are just looking for attention, I say: don't give it to them!

[soup]

The media's got major double standards for women/girls anyways. I think this particular uproar showcases America's puritan roots, and the attraction/repulsion in the media for dark sexual subjects.

There's been a rash of naked photo shoots lately (think Lindsay) for attention so I'm not surprised other fame gluttons chose to use similar tactics.

[scungilli]

i think this is the cold product of the thoughtless mechanism that strives to make food look appetizing, clothes look stylish, and everyone look attractive ...

[Annie]

Seems to me that somebody got some bad advice from her manager - or maybe not...

Do you think Miley and her family are making these decisions by themselves?

[Mags]

The funniest thing here is how you see Goofy's arms reaching up to grab her - I always did have my suspicions that Goofy might be a secret letch!

Mags

[glenn maguire]

With the ink drying on her memoir deal, this scandal makes the tomb a must read for everytween between now and then. Skankville,
U.S.A., indeed. Pitiful.

[jerms]

The photos are artsy and well done, but then you realize that this is a 15 year old girl. Even Britney wasnt' singing her "not yet a woman" song at that age...

Having her appear topless is inappropriate. They could have had her pose with more clothes on and still sell the magazine.

Bottom line: 15 years old = TOO YOUNG to be presented thusly. Even if she's a pop star and vying for attention.

[Viper Tetsu]

Mother Mary in an Achy-Breaky mullet, an Annie Liebowitz shoot? Talk about delusions of artistic grandeur...and with a pseudo-arty kiddie porn chaser to boot. Spot on, dear Quatorze.

That clacking sound you hear, folks, would the jackbooted footsteps of Uncle Walt's stormtroopers. You VILL NOT paint Mickey und Chiminy und Vinnie ze Pooh MIT OUT PERMISSION!

[parker]

I think it's a tasteful photo but I still find it creepy that she's only 15. She's still very much a child and the photo does suggest adult themes. The photographer may not have intended for it to come off that way, but that is how most people will see it.

[midevil]

In hollyrude, sex sells. That photo with her father is even creepier.

You got it again, 14.

[vern]

Thank you Viper for pre$enting a do$e of clarity!
Thi$ is a DI$NEY chick, after all!!!! Thi$ $hould be a picture of a $ide of Beef hanging, for all the "arti$tic" merit and faux $exuality.
Annie Liebovitz i$ $ooo over-rated, all her picture$ look the $ame lately. $he $hould get over her$elf and realize, catching that pic of John & Yoko wa$ plain lucky!
Oh, if only $he could learn $omehing from the geniu$ that is 14!

[Sara]

I'm really tired of everyone ranting "she's JUST A CHILD!"

I also thought Miley's apology was a cop-out. She apparently had no problem with it until irate, crazed parents screamed slut and bloody murder her way.

It's important not to underestimate the power of media, but it's also imperative we not forget that parents are ultimately responsible for the well-being of their children. Instead of calling this 15 year old a slut where your child is in earshot and will then go to school using the same word, find out what your child thinks about the photo- chances are you are blowing it out of proportion.

[Eize]

To be serious...

Compared to the nekkid pics of Vanessa Hudgens that were spilled on the net, this is pretty tasteful. I just wish Vanity Fair deleted the one where Miley posed with her father.

[Demon Kitty]

I am so glad I didn't see the pic of her and her father! GROSS!!!!

I don't know what to think. I really don't.

Yes, she looked like she just got fucked. Vanity Fair didn't have to make her up like a Baby Crack Whore.

I don't think she should have apologized. Teenagers are sexual, but what audience are we catering to here. What is the age of the audience? Are we catering to a bunch of horny teenage boys? I say no. I think the male audience is - ahem - OLDER.

[Demon Kitty]

In the words of Defamer, the 2nd most important text in the English Language other than The Sun:

We're so confused. An extra day's digestion of the Miley Cyrus/Vanity Fair photo "scandal" hasn't cleared much up for us in the way of morals, betrayals, exploitations and career management of the young Hannah Montana star, but the public meltdown has alerted us to a more basic truth that is helping guide us through the fog of outrage. This isn't about Miley Cyrus without a shirt on or if she's been seen somewhere in her lingerie, or if her father dropped the ball.

It's simpler than any of that; this whole thing comes down to picture of a 15-year-old looking like she just got the shit fucked out of her. And if there's anything America loves more than a war, it's teenagers fucking.

[Junebug]

Candy or attention? Neither, it's gross, and the grossest are those of her and her dad.

i think US really needs to check their double standards for this "teen stars" and teenagers in general. its ok to advertise sex and sensuality but its not ok to show it somehow? im a photographer myself so i might be bias, but i think Leibovitz really did a classic portrait, its innocent and intriguing. How somebody sees child porn in this is something that leaves me O_o i guess it is their own "perspective".

[Shelly]

I'm kind of torn myself.
Anne Lebovitz is my all time favorite portrait photographer. This photo is very lovely. But not for the viewing of children. Miley might be 15, but her $$ comes from the parents of 7-12 year olds.
I would give my first born to work with her...
However, my first born is 10 and is TOTALLY into Hannah Montana. I had hoped she wouldn't see this, but she came home from school and told me something was up with Miley. I told her Miley's turning into a Hootch.
I don't know what do do except put more Pat Benatar and No Doubt on her Ipod...

[Jenn F.]

It's a combination of two many things that add up to an inappropriate photo... the just-rolled-out-of-bed hair, the dazed expression, the appearance of nakedness beneath a sheet. All of that on a kid who's no where near adulthood yet?! No doubt everyone's talking about it.

And yes, the magazine's primary audience is quite a bit older. Bad call. People are slowly becoming desensitized to underage girls being pimped out. Besides, she's a Disney star... what the hell were they thinking?!

The target market for Hannah Montana is 8 to 12. I know this because I'm currently stuck working on a pile of Hannah graphic design work. In most of the images that Disney has provided to work with, she's dressed like a 25-year old woman heading out to a club. Complete with platform stilettos. I kid you not. My biggest issue is with the fact that the target audience is 8 to 12. That's who are most interested in this girl, and want to emulate her look and behaviour.

People are pushing her to grow up fast. Like most young girls, she's anxious to do so herself. But she holds a level of responsibility that most 15 year olds don't carry... there are legions of 8 to 12 year olds that are watching and copying her every move. If she's not capable of making good choices in consideration of this, someone should be helping to guide her.

Besides, what does it say about people's intelligence level when sex is the only thing that appears to really sell a magazine?

[zomgflipflop]

I think the picticures fit perfectly with the slutification(lol) of todays youth(Myspace anyone?).
Seems that these days it's cooler to get caught showing off your twat then having some sort of brain-activity going on for you, or I dunno..having dignity?

[Demon Kitty]

I dare say this is not about teenagers fucking. This is about teenagers WANTING to fuck adults.

I think Hollywood pimps this out and she was seeking the spotlight.

[Yara Gharios]

How could people do that to a 15-year-old???? It's like you've been told that you were invited to a birthday party and (instant place) and when you get to that place in question you find out it's a strip club!! How can you say that she's the one who made this decision????/

[Liggy]

Personally I thought the photograph had artistic merits, however, I didn't think it was an appropriate pose for someone of Miley's age. A pose like that for someone her age just feeds the perverted minds of pedophiles...

[TheBadRabbit]

It's about time we got to look at something besides that slag Amy Whine-house. I'll admit, the photo pushes the envelope a bit, but this is only offensive if you're Amish.
Rock on, Miley. Get it while you can.

[Ashley]

I think this picture stunk and whoever thinks it was sexy or lovable is STIPID!!!! Imagine you being her how would you feel? She was pressured into it and Annie you SUCK!!!!!

[ErikaEve]

So not bad I have way worse. Right now there are a few pictures of me from New Year's going around my school and trust me she wins my vote for most covered up.

[San Francisco Queen]

Me at 15 years old? I was dropping LSD at Woodstock - really.
---
USA Americans - wanting sex, drooling over models, always sex, sex sells cars, always ads for erectile dysfunction. But never, ever ADMIT that we like sex & sexuality - that would be a sin.
I chose to leave CT & have lived in San Francisco 30 yrs. - where people accept that we're sexual beings, which then allows people to choose when it's appropriate to be sexual.

[the.jj]

I think the photo was creepy; even creepier, however, was the photo of her draped across her dad, both in skin-tight jeans.

I hate the hypocrisy inherent in this whole situation. If Miley and her fam would've just admitted, "Yeah, it was supposed to be sexy," I would've found the whole thing easier to, ahem, swallow. But to protest that they "didn't know" what was happening is RIDICULOUS.

At which part didn't you know that the picture was going to be at least IMPLYING sex? The tousled hair? The lipgloss? The bare back? The bedsheet? What else could that photo be implying?

It's like the Cyruses tried it and then got scared by all the negative reactions, and then tried to pretend that had no clue. I'm not buying it, or Miley's comments that she was so embarrassed... apparently you weren't embarrassed enough!