The Pleasant Times: Is Hannah Montana Harmless?

Friday, July 25, 2008

Is Hannah Montana Harmless?

I was sitting in a waiting room at the doctor's today, and saw Miley Cyrus on TV. Miley Cyrus was the big deal of the morning show, and had people lined up for days to see her, with their little girls all over the place screaming and mouthing the words to her song. I'm not talking about pre-teens or young teens but little girls, who looked like they were 7 or 8 years old, pressing against the stage, going wild over the singer.

While I acknowledge that she is a pretty girl, has a nice smile, and reported to be a wonderfully warm personality, I really was quite shocked at the songs and the gyrating dance and gestures used in the show by Miss Cyrus. After seeing that, it surprises me that so many parents are letting their little girls be exposed to her, supporting her by buying anything with her picture on it, and letting their precious daughters listen to her songs. Perhaps because "Hannah Montana" is on the kids programming, parents think she is a good example for their girls.

Having been "out of the loop" on what is popular amongst young girls nowdays, I had only seen "Hannah Montana" on posters, and not the actual show. Perhaps I am more shocked than other mothers when I see Miss Cyrus, and hear her songs. She hasn't "grown" on me-- I have not become used to her. Unfortunately, these little girls are going to follow "Hannah Montana" into her new career-- into her new songs and lyrics and styles, which will shorten their innocent childhoods. I sincerely hope that fathers and mothers will realize that Miss Cyrus is going to influence thousands of young girls to do what she does, dress like she does (if you think she isn't really badly immodest now, just wait) and let rock music and doubtful lyrics into their daughter's hearts and souls at a tender young age.

The Pied Piper Leads the Children Away from the Town
Greenaway, Kate

If you think her songs won't do any harm, just look up the lyrics on the web. One of her latest songs talks about how boring school is, and how she can't wait until the bell rings. This I can understand, actually... but look at her alternative: partying, waking people up at night, and "losing control" ("We're gonna have some fun/Gonna lose control/It feels so good/To let go). I realize that she may be "speaking" to her own generation... not meaning for these to be songs that little 7-year-olds are supposed to listen to, but let me tell you they are listening to it and internalizing it, and it will have an influence. Now that she is "breaking out" to the MTV crowd, probably trying to distance herself from all those little girls, I think she will only get worse.

In another song, a duet with her dad on late-night TV, she was crooning into the microphone, "Oh, I gotta do what I gotta do." Her dad was meekly replying in song "she's gotta do what she's gotta do." Boy, does she have him wrapped around her little finger. I could not help but think, that the majority of fathers the world over would have stopped her long ago in her tracks and pointed her to a different path. And I also could not help but wonder if many little girls out there will chafe at their father's rules for them, even mild rules, after being influenced by the Cyrus' song. Perhaps they will think that all fathers should be pushovers and support their wishes.
I read that mothers in Britain are boycotting Miss Cyrus. Good for them. I hope that a lot of little girls can be steered away from her before we have a bunch of 7-9-year-old "teenagers" on our hands. And my wish for Miley Cyrus is, that she will choose a better path in life, use her talents to promote goodness and morality, and be all the happier for it.