In 1976, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote, “Seldom do well-behaved women make history.”
Since then, that quote has been attributed to Marilyn Monroe, Eleanor Roosevelt and even Mae West. Pretty soon that quote will probably be attributed to Miley Cyrus, because the route she’s currently on is bound to make history in one way or another.
Whether good or bad, Miley Cyrus is one step towards making history every single day. You see, if you believe that in 2009 Miley Cyrus never heard a Jay Z song or listened to pop music, then today’s Miley is merely an enigma… Or the product of one very creative marketing genius.
But maybe it’s neither. Maybe Miley is just a young girl who has discovered something new and is embracing it to the fullest. Think of it like a pork-eating thug who got caught doing a crime, sent up north to serve a 4-year bid, only to come back home as a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Muslim who’s discovered Islam for the first time.
The only difference between Miley Cyrus and a fresh out of jail NOI member is one wears latex panties that don’t fit and the other wears very nice bow ties. OK, I’m joking, but I’m sure you catch my drift. I don’t agree with everything Miley Cyrus does, but I can’t understand all the disdain for her antics.
She’s 20 and she’s acting like a 20-year-old. She’s discovered hip-hop late and she’s trying to catch up. Unfortunately she doesn’t have people around her to say, “Hey Miles, you might not want to wear pictures of Biggie and Pac on your nice white girl booty.” But then again, the “Wrecking Ball” singer has broken new ground by making it acceptable for girls with no booty to twerk.
(Which I never thought I would see, but it’s happening all over the internet like the purpose of twerking is not to make that ass shake. So I’ll give Miley props for that, at least).
Miley has a chance to change the culture. I don’t think she’s just acting black. The fact that there are so many blogs tearing Miley down for “acting Black,” like Blacks are the poster children for twerking, smoking weed, and not wearing clothes in front of a live studio audience. News flash people: Miley is just acting like a normal (though very wild) twentysomething of any skin color.
Oprah isn’t known for twerking, Michelle Obama isn’t known for smoking weed, Maya Angelou isn’t known for wearing latex bikinis, but those are my examples for how Black women should act.
So you can save all of those long essays filled with those big words that are basically only used by Harvard grads and guys who decided to memorize the dictionary while in prison. Please don’t forward me any blogs about how Miley Cyrus twerking is just part of a, “long history of how capitalism is a gendered enterprise and subsequently how gendered beauty norms are resisted and embraced to protect the dominant beauty ideal of a certain type of white female beauty.”
No! Miley Cyrus can try to twerk all she wants, it’s not going to make me think that Lupita Nyong’o is not one of the most beautiful women in the world.
So in the words of another ill-behaved woman who made history: ‘Girls just want to have fun’ and I am enjoying all the fun Miley is having right now – because guess what? People will continue to talk about those aforementioned antics for a long while to come. Because of Miley, the way a young woman should speak or act – regardless of color – is certainly being discussed. And anyone who’s the catalyst for conversation must be doing something right.
If you need me, I’ll be looking at Miley’s Terry Richardson pics.
~ Blog Xilla Follow Me On Twitter
Xilla is the Sr. Entertainment Editor for GlobalGrind.com as well as CEO of the number 1 relationship blog BlogXilla.com/M2TB.com. He has been featured in XXL, The Source, Essence, LA Times and is considered one of the premiere bloggers in the industry. Follow him on twitter @BlogXilla
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
