Miley Cyrus has claimed that her new twerking, tongue-wagging, half-naked persona, which led to a legion of Chicken Littles claiming society is crumbling and to Sinead O’Connor writing a very concerned letter, is merely an act done in the name of good old fashioned rock and roll.
Cyrus told The New York Times that her onstage character does not represent her real personality, saying, “I went from people just thinking I was, like, a baby to people thinking I’m this, like, sex freak that really just pops molly and does lines all day. It’s like, ‘Has anyone ever heard of rock & roll?'”
“There’s a sex scene in pretty much every single movie, and they go, ‘Well, that’s a character.’ Well, that’s a character. I don’t really dress as a teddy bear and, like, twerk on Robin Thicke, you know?” The singer then spoke on the issues of misogyny and racism, which some say have been palpable throughout Cyrus’ output over the past year, particularly in her now infamous VMAs performance.
Cyrus said she was incredulous regarding accusations of racism, likening it to a no-win situation, and reiterating her position as a feminist saying:
“It’s actually really funny how many people could watch my performance, and they think it was, like, sexist and degrading to women, and somehow people found that it was racist, which I couldn’t even wrap my mind around.
“Because I’m like: ‘How do I win? If I have white dancers, then I’m racist. If I have black girl dancers, then I’m racist.’ We know we’re not racist, and I know I’m not putting down women. People got a rise out of me saying that I was a feminist, but I am. I’m telling women be whoever you want to be.”
When asked if she has let the racial critiques of her performances and material over the year change her views on race, Cyrus said she did not, adding that the racial landscape changes at such a speed that she looks forward to a day when people don’t remark on the colour of her dancers.
(Via Vulture)
