One small twerk for woman, one giant twerk for womankind.

Miley Cyrus is about as controversial as they come. Whether it was the now infamous VMA performance with Robin Thicke where she twerked dressed as a teddy bear or her licking a sledge hammer like a lollipop that caught your attention, you can't deny she knows how to make headlines.

But look past the licking, twerking and the weed-smoking and what do you have? A young, self-assured woman striding forward in the music industry and breaking down barriers. 

Back in her "Hannah Montana" days (excellent show to this day) she was considered the ultimate role model. She was essentially America's sweethart and embodied everything that parents wanted their young daughters to aspire to. Now? Not so much. After staying under the radar for a while after "Hannah" she came back like we'd never seen her before. She ditched the long brown locks that had captured the heart of a nation and chose a punky, short blonde cut that spoke volumes. It wasn't just the end of "Hannah" it was the end of Miley as we knew her. With a new look came a new attitude. And boy, was it loud. She cussed like a sailor, drank like a sailor and spoke endlessly about her love of marijuana. This wasn't the Miley who put on a blonde wig, sang a song about friendship and learned a heartfelt and meaningful lesson a the end of a 20 minute show. This was a Miley who twerked, partied, stuck her tongue out at every available opportunity and as we would later discover, gyrate on top of giant inflatable penises. 

But that's the whole point. The Miley we "knew" was all assumptions we'd made based on a character she portrayed in a Disney television show. It wasn't really her. Underneath the bubblegum-pop good girl shine had long been an edgy, foul-mouthed, rough-around-the-edges pop starlet who was capable of conquering the charts, in her own name, as well as the world. And, if you don't mind me adding; our hearts.

This bad girl had been suffocated for years and now that she was finally allowed to escape she was going to make a grand entrance.

So for months we saw controversy after controversy pile up against the global superstar while the world of social media weighed in at every opportunity. After the VMA's she was the subject of cruel jibes online about her body and the way she looked. But really I think that says more about the pathetic mentality of the general public than it does about her. Also that performance was the most tweeted about on the night so who's really winning?

I think I'm starting to digress a little. We all know Miley could be described as a number of things. One thing you may not bank on is that I see her as a good role model for women. Whether you like the way she goes about it or not Miley is at the top of her game and is now one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. And while it would be easy to say she is just the manufactured product of the shrill music industry it would be a false statement to make. You just have to watch her documentary "Miley: The Movement" to see that she has the final say when it comes to all the major decisions about her career. She chose "We can't stop" as the lead single of her album which she had to fight for. It went to number 1. She co-directed her 'Bangerz' world tour. She co-designed the costumes for the tour. She co-wrote the majority of songs on her album. She plans out all her performances and rehearses endlessly until she perfects them. 

She is a woman in charge. 

Whether you like what she's doing or not you have to admire her work ethic. She is unstoppable. And as far as her "scandalous" performances go, yes they are highly sexualized. But does that make them bad? She is exploring her sexual freedom. She is an independent, confident, smart, successful woman who can stand up to the best in the music industry today. If she twerks in little more than a thong and bra is she demeaning herself or is she empowering herself. She is not being objectified by men. She is self-confident in the way she looks. She looks good and she's not afraid to show it. So why, are we as people so inclined to tear each other down and destroy each other's self-esteem? Why is it when women particularly are self-assured and in control we have to take them down a peg? Why can't we support them?

                              Surely a woman who is confident and in charge should be respected.

Whether she twerks or not. She should be considered a good role model. She's leading the charge of women taking over the music industry. Role models should not be defined by having a squeaky-clean image but by what message they spread. And to the unobservant eye it appears as if Miley is just promoting partying. But if you really look close you'll see she is promoting the empowerment of women and people in general. She wants us to see that we can do anything we set our minds to. That we should live for ourselves and not worry about what others think of us. And she knows what she is doing for women as a self-confessed feminist. Feminism isn't about covering up and having to act like we're in the Victorian ages. It's about being treated equally to men. So when a woman is judged for singing about sex but a man isn't it makes me angry. Women shouldn't hate each other. 

She is not perfect. Even if you don't agree with everything she does at least be proud there's a woman out there owning herself and a stage, making her own money and carving her own path. 





And Miley is a good role model because she as a woman, is self-assuredly taking on the world and winning. And she is looking damn fine as she does it. 

Lots of blog love,
                      Jeni x




Fun side note: count how many time I used the phrase "self-assured" in this post!