The Life of Bon: 5 lies the media is telling America's teenagers

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

5 lies the media is telling America's teenagers

I didn't want to talk about the Miley debacle here.  I wanted to keep this space on the internet clean and pure and innocent.  But I just can't keep my mouth shut about it any longer.

On Sunday night this happened.



She's come a long ways...


I am disgusted with Miley Cyrus, yes, but it's not just her. It's Robin Thicke and the whole production team behind it and the media and everyone who gave the green light for the show.  I don't know exactly why I feel so up in arms about this- maybe it's because I teach teenagers.  I see and interact with the poor pubescent adolescents on a daily level. I know how intelligent and funny and bright they are. I also know how malleable and self conscious and stupid they are.  They are at such a vulnerable time in their lives, and they're trying so desperately to figure out who they are.  And then, in the middle of all this inner turmoil and confusion- they see something like this.  After Sunday night I felt like grabbing those kids in my class, giving them a good shake and screaming, "Don't believe it!  Don't you believe those lies! Not for a second!"

Undoubtedly, the students would struggle to free themselves from my grasp and shout back, "What are you talking about?  What lies?  It was just a dance, you crazy woman!"

But it wasn't.  It was lies.  Lies that the media and Hollywood and Robin and Miley themselves are stuffing down the throats of our teenagers.

LIE #1:  POPULARITY TRUMPS EVERYTHING.  I think we can all agree that the only reason someone would act like this in front of millions and millions of viewers is shock factor, right? I read today that Miley "couldn't be happier" about her performance.  What she wanted was to get people talking about her.  And she did.  It didn't matter what she did, as long as it made her name the buzz of every office and home in America, she was satisfied with it.  The message this teaches teenagers is you don't have to be well known for something positive.  Look at Miley.  She's the most talked about person in the nation right now.  In this social media age where number of twitter and instagram followers is everything to a teenager, the media is teaching them that being popular is more important than everything else.  More important that kindness, more important than intelligence, more important than a sense of humor, more important than giving and receiving love.  The only thing that matters is if people know who you are.

LIE #2:  MARRIAGE AND FAMILY NEED NOT BE RESPECTED.  Robin Thicke is married.  His wife apparently knew of the whole dance routine and stamped her approval on it.  Where is the respect for the relationship and commitment to each other?  The respect for her child who will inevitably one day see everything his dad participated in.  I understand that it's "show biz", but there has to be a line somewhere, right?  Bumping and grinding and licking necks isn't the line for a married man?  When a married man participates in something like this, the media is telling America's teens that marriage is a joke, that marriage doesn't mean anything, that you can be married and still do anything you want to.  Oh, you have a kid too?  No problem- you go ahead and do whatever you want!

LIE #3: IF ONE PERSON (OR LOTS OF PEOPLE) TELL YOU IT IS OKAY, IT IS.  One of the thing that amazes me the most is that this was not some random, spontaneous idea by one girl.  This was a show.  It was put on by a production team.  There were hundreds of people who played a part in it.  Countless people who said, "Oh, yah. I like that. Do it. It'll be great."  Just because someone else has given you the go ahead, doesn't mean it's okay.  I can't help but think about this cheesy poster one of my high school teachers had hanging in his room: "What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular."  The media acts like this kind of thing is the norm- that everyone does it, and what else can you expect from the media?  I don't want to hear the excuse that it's just tv and it's just what they do.  No matter how many people agree to it, it doesn't make it right.

LIE #4:  IF TWO PEOPLE DO SOMETHING INAPPROPRIATE, IT IS THE GIRL'S FAULT.  Women have long been held accountable for men's misdeeds.  A girl gets pregnant?  She shouldn't have let him do that to her.  A boy takes advantage of a woman?  She shouldn't have dressed provocatively.  This is one of the thing that drives me the most crazy about our society- men know exactly what they are doing, just like women do.  I read an article stating that Robin Thicke's mom said she was appalled by Miley's behavior, but in the same breath excused her son from any fault.  "Him? Loved it. I love that suit, the black and white suit," Loring said, praising her son's outfit. "I don't understand what Miley Cyrus is trying to do. I just don't understand."  Miley has taken far more of the criticism than Robin Thicke has, and maybe deservedly, but they were the two performers and they should both be held accountable for it.  I was shocked to hear my students place 100% of the blame on Miley, some stating that they thought Robin Thicke had no idea what was going on.  Oh, trust me, he knew exactly what was happening.  By only blaming Miley we are teaching our teenage boys that errors of this kind are not their fault and that if a woman is offering up her goods to him then he has no choice to receive it because the poor little thing has no control and brain of his own.  Therefore, not only are we hurting women by giving them the full blame for the misconduct, we are making excuses for our men while simultaneously treating them like idiots with no self control.

LIE #5:  YOU AND YOUR BODY ARE ONLY VALUABLE TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY CAN TURN MEN ON.  There's a lot that could be said for the degradation and objectifying of women on tv and Hollywood in general- it is something that hasn't changed much.  On Sunday night though, more than ever, I felt like tv was sending the message that women are valuable only if they represent sex.  If you do not show exactly how your body can turn men on, then it has no purpose or worth in this world.  Of all the messages that were sent to teens through the performance, I think this one is the most damaging.  Teenage girls believe this, and so do teenage boys.  They buy in to it.  They think that unless they can be super ultra sexy and represent sex through their bodies, a boy will never like them.  In order to have a boyfriend they believe they must essentially "sell" their body.  Convince the boys through lots of cleavage and short shorts that they are worth dating because they represent sex so well.  And then the boys become accustomed to this.  They think they are entitled to have a girlfriend who dresses and acts like this when what they don't realize is that one who doesn't act like this will have far more confidence, intelligence and love to give. 

*If you enjoyed this article, please share on your social media platform.

82 comments:

  1. Amen. Sharing the crap out of this.

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  2. Ohhh... so many things I could reply to, but put simply, you nailed it.

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  3. You, girly, deserve my share.:) I totally agree; I have stopped watching MTV a long time ago because the message it sends is completely lewd and I believe that kind of content is what is sending our society down the crapper. Kids buy whatever they're being sold by the mass media even if it's not the most uplifting stuff.

    xo,
    Ana Paula
    {Visit me at Mommyhood, PhD}

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  4. Probably the best blog post I've read about this whole mess.

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    1. I also recommend reading this piece on the racial implications of the performance. It was extremely enlightening to me, especially as a white feminist.

      http://groupthink.jezebel.com/solidarity-is-for-miley-cyrus-1203666732

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    2. Thanks for sharing. Very interesting, as I did have a few of those thoughts while watching the performance.

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  5. Amen!! thanks for writing this and for finding truth among the lies.

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  6. Great post1 Full of truth and love.

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  7. This post is dead on. Great read, and I agree with you 100%!

    Melissa

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  8. Anonymous2:49 AM

    This is brilliant. You and I are the same page about this.

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  9. Anonymous3:15 AM

    Great post. Well said!

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  10. GREAT post! I found myself feeling so embarrassed for her. Not sure why though, she doesn't seem to be embarrassed at all. Such a shame what MTV is teaching our youth.

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  11. Thank you thank you thank you. Was that enough thank yous? Susan

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  12. Amen! Amen! Amen!

    When I first saw the video I was appalled and disgusted and offended...but now I'm just sad about it. I couldn't agree more about the lies that performance is spreading. It's heart breaking. I just want to take a megaphone and shout "have some respect for yourself!!!" throughout the streets.

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  13. I agree with most of this and find Miley disgusting after this performance. Two of your points, I don't completely 100% percent agree with everything, but mostly do. I don't think it particularly challenges Robin's marriage, per se, as it was just a show, and the MTV VMA's are known for shock value (remember Madonna kissing Britney and Cristina?)...that said, if I were his wife I wouldn't be happy, so idk. Paula's definitely a more laid back chick than most!

    Also, as to your point of putting blame on Robin, I read that in the rehearsals it wasn't quite so raunchy, and at one point watching the performance, Robin's face did look quite surprised by what Miley was doing to him. He's certainly not an innocent bystander, but I feel as though the blame is indeed primarily hers. She's the one who took it (way!) too far.

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    1. Definitely agree! This was a well-written and thought out article, but I do think the whole "slut shaming" aspect was blown out of proportion... apparently, the entire production team went "WTF" as soon as this whole thing went down, because the rehearsal was way more PG. I think this all just leads back into your first point: she wanted attention, and she got it. I wasn't upset as a woman, or as a feminist, I just thought the entire thing was completely crude and disgusting.. the performer here was replaceable, Madonna or Brittney or Nicki would've been just as horrible.

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  14. This is exactly on par, and probably the best post I have seen about the whole VMA mess. Great post!

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  15. You make very strong points and I respect them. As a wife, I would never allow my husband to behave in that manner. But....

    Miley set the tone to her entire performance when she initially stepped out of that teddy bear. She knew exactly what she was going out there to do and in her eyes it was spectacular. It's unfortunate that she is in a place where she literally has nobody to guide her view of what it means to be truly artistic and valued as an artist in this industry. She gyrated, demoralized other women on the stage by touching and grabbing them, and violated the meaning of keeping it classy.

    Robin deserves some blame, but Miley fully deserves all the attention she so happily seeked out.

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  16. Well said! Everything you said is exactly right. Best blog post I've read about it.

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  17. I've been debating on saying anything about that whole circus, because on the one hand, I want to stamp my condemnation all over it, but on the other hand, I don't want to give it any extra attention. But, thank you for saying this--you nailed it. MTV turned to trash a long time ago and I never watch that station, but I know lots of impressionable teenagers do, so they should really get their act together. I mean, teen mom?!?! Sure, let's tell teenage girls it's no big deal to get pregnant by your skeezy boyfriend, because you can get a tv deal out of it!

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  18. This might also be worth a read, because it felt wrong on more than just a hyper-sexualized / disrespectful to marriage perspective: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/anne-theriault-/miley-cyrus-vma-performance_b_3819177.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

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  19. SO well put!!! And I'm usually all about #4, but in this instance, I think it really was much more on Miley. Maybe I should watch it again (except that I'm nauseous already from pregnancy... so nooo thank you) but he A. was in the performance for a much shorter time and B. Seemed to be a lot more passive. And I'm not saying that he was right and boys should be taught to be like him AT ALL. But she went to places so far beyond bumping and grinding a guy (who I didn't know was married... geez to BOTH of them) and her performance was really just gross well before he got up there.

    But really, you nailed it. I didn't think I could find anything new and interesting to read on this topic, but I read every word nodding!

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  20. Hallelujah! Preach it, girl! It was all a play for attention - which OBVIOUSLY she's getting - but it's so sad that any attention is good attention to her.

    I hope whenever she becomes a mom she realizes how disgusting her performance was. And, seriously, I hope that somewhere deep down she knows what she did was a bad choice. I SO hope so...

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  21. I wish i could have read this at age 16! So true!! Great job!

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  22. I had to laugh while reading your post because it is so obvious that MTV has deteriorated to the point of being trash. I was actually doing something else on Sunday night when my husband came into the bedroom and turned on the TV. His comment....OMG, watch this. I caught the Robin Thicke part of Miley's performance and I was shocked and appalled.

    While Miley is an adult, I think her performance certainly called attention to the fact that she is a child of priviledge and was raised to believe that her actions have no real consequences. And I mean, let's be honest....they don't. Her performance on Sunday night achieved her goal which was to turn the spotlight directly onto herself.

    As a country we start sexualizing our children (mostly the girls) at a younger and younger age. Why does a child need a shirt with a sheer panel as the back? Or shorts that barely cover her underwear? Just walk through the toy department and look at the dolls and the way they are dressed. We are sending a message to our girls that sexy is the ultimate goal and they should start working towards that right now. (Sorry.....stepping off of my soap box!)

    The point is that sexualization of our children leads to young adults with no boundaries and no value system. Parents.....step up and take control of how you are raising your kids....before it is too late!! If they are determined to watch the music awards....discuss it with them afterwards....talk about your expectations and how degrading, demoralizing and disgusting it was to see that. Ask them if they would want to see a sister, a friend or even a parent perform that same routine. I'm guessing the answer will be no.

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  23. Amazing, amazing post!!! Absolute perfection.

    Also, I had no idea Robin was married! WOW that just makes the situation a million times worse. Ugh, disgust.

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  24. The sad thing about this performance is that it shocks us and we rage about it, but the next time something like this happens? We'll probably be less shocked, less raged. And the next time? And the next time? We'll just continue (as a society anyway) to be less shocked, less upset and eventually it will just be the norm. I'm terrified of raising my kids.

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  25. Amen!!! Thank you for sharing!

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  26. Sharing. Right now. Well said!

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  27. #2 and #5--yes. He is MARRIED. People keep attacking Miley, but what about him? He is a MARRIED man who gave his own consent for this.

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  28. i agree with all the points you made. but #4....i have been thinking that very same thing ever since last sunday. all the talk is about miley and how terrible and skanky and yuck she was. but no one has said more than two words about robin thicke. he was part of it too! it's annoying he's not getting more slack, i think.

    i'm glad you shared. well said, for sure.

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  29. Anonymous8:56 AM

    Amen to every single thing in this post. I did not watch the VMAs, so I haven't seen Miley's "performance", other than clips shown on news programs. I think celeb culture is super interesting. I'm not obsessed by any stretch, but I find it interesting to watch. I'm not a parent, but I know a lot of kids and my friends have kids and I wonder what they're being taught about what's right and wrong. My friend's son loves Dr. Who. I've never seen it, but I'm pretty sure it's not for an almost seven year old. What about that young boy in Louisiana who shot his grandmother after playing Grand Theft Auto? Everyone is saying the game had nothing to do with it. But the game had everything to do with it.

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  30. I don't even know where to begin responding to this post. I felt so angry and grossed out watching the performance and the sad thing is that I, even for a second, questioned if I was acting as some modest elderly conservative in feeling this way (I'm 26). It's a relief to see the outrage. That performance was NOT OKAY on so many levels!

    I'll be sharing this post. Thanks for taking the time to spell it out. Ew!

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  31. I completely agree with this whole post. It's so sad:(

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  32. I just can't get over it. But I need to. I felt like a creep just watching it, as well as seeing all the gifs of it on peoples blogs. What Miley did on stage is literally my worst nightmare, the nudey underwear, the grinding, the foam finger... it's what my hell is made of. But as far as #2 goes I guess I gotta say they are performers on stage doing a performance. Is every wife of an actor supposed to get mad when the actor does a kissing scene? Better yet, what if Bon's Hubs got casted in a great movie role where he had to kiss a woman? How does Bon deal? That my friend is the question...

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  33. Agree with so much of this (and I haven't even seen the vmas other than random clips) but... as for MTV, they are an entertainment network, with production companies, putting up a huge multi-billion dollar production. That's show business. End of story. They don't care if something is morally aligned or who's watching (cue the riduculous "it's the parent's job to control who sees what" line), it's just about money and "having a good time". And as for Robin's wife.. well, she married Robin Thicke. She knew he was a performer. Being in a relationship with a performer is unlike any other relationship. The boy I kiss just wrapped a show during which he had to kiss another girl. This has happened several times over a few years. It doesn't change or alter our relationship, it's his job. Successful industry couples support each other and leave work at work. All of that being said, I do agree with the "it's the girl's fault" part. Always is. And show biz? Hard as hell on women, incredibly unfair. But if you choose to be in it, you either work to change it or you accept it. When I have an audition for an underwear line, I turn it down. Not okay with it. If it's giggling and being silly (but fully dressed) sure! Bring on the job! It's a really weird world. I'd have been SO interested to see how you and your hubs faired in LA! And gotten your take on the industry.

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  34. Woah totally not planned, but look at what was right under your link on facebook! It's a male take on the issue of Miley being the only one catching slack. Really interesting, I think you'll like! http://johnpavlovitz.com/2013/08/28/the-blurred-lines-of-real-manhood-robin-thicke-im-looking-in-your-direction/

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  35. SO sharing this!! And I am so glad we didn't have facebook, twitter or instagram when I was in high school!

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  36. This is so well written! Thank you for sharing!

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  37. My neck hurts from nodding so enthusiastically at #s 4 & 5.

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  38. It's really quite sad if you think about it, Hollywood ruins these kids' lives and then reaps all the benefits of the shit-shows they create. She doesn't even have a healthy, supportive family to fall back on. Happy, well adjusted kids don't just act this way. I can only imagine the troubled life she has ahead of her.

    That being said, I still want to rip out her tongue and knock her on her twerk-ass.

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  39. There's also the issue of women and black women being objectified as a prop to act upon or be used for someone else's pleasure. Miley dominated the black women in the performance, and then Robin dominated her as "the male" he represented using her for pleasure (in watching her performance and receiving her twerking with her as an object--I'm not sure I even understand what that is in the first place).

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  40. To be honest I could care less about Miley's performance, there are WAY bigger issues in the world to get worked up about. Yes it was vulgar and distasteful but as a 21 year old, just 1 year older than Miley I've seen real life girls my age do just as distasteful of things. It isn't her goal to be a family friendly performer despite how much families may dislike that.

    On the same note it does infuriate me that she is being slut shamed while her make counterpart is left untouched. People argue that he was more of a bystander but I completely disagree, he represents the male part in this whole issue...men using and perceiving women as sex objects. Duh he wasn't dancing around in his underwear...that isn't a male role in society. Women are the ones whose bodies are sexualized, he was representing the man using her for his sexual pleasure.

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  41. Preach it sister aha! This whole thing baffles me on a whole other level, but when you step back it really is so damaging...


    www.ganglygiraffe.blogspot.co.uk

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  42. Honestly, I couldn't have said it better. I'm using this one day when I'm a young women's leader. Miley DISGUSTS me and I'm so disappointed with her. Sharing this all over the place.

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  43. Amen to that sista

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  44. Ugh Miley...and Amanda Bynes...whoa!

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  45. I have read quite a few posts over the past few days about the whole thing, but I think this is by far my favorite! You hit the nail right on the head with this one. I'll be sharing this all over. Thank you!!

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  46. I have read quite a few posts over the past few days about the whole thing, but I think this is by far my favorite! You hit the nail right on the head with this one. I'll be sharing this all over. Thank you!!

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  47. Anonymous2:57 PM

    Yes!!!!!! Look, I am not religious, I don't believe in God, and I haven't been to church in over 20 years. But that routine offended me on so many levels. We live in a society that trivializes and demeans girls for the same behaviors that men participate in with no repercussions. We live in a rape culture where little girls are sexualized from birth forward and taught that they are at fault for that sexualization - you know, more at fault than adult men who should know better.

    And what about the poor innocent foam finger? WILL NO ONE SPEAK OUT FOR THE FOAM FINGER??

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  48. Hi Bonnie,

    I'm 19 years old so almost not a teenager anymore but I have to tell you I TOTALLY agree with you. I was disgusted when I saw the video, I couldn't believe how pornographic it was and that it was shown on television.

    ~Emma

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  49. I hadn't watched it but just did and am so disgusted!

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  50. This blog sums up how I feel about this whole thing.

    "Miley Twerking On Things We Should Talk About - If she's twerking on it, maybe we'll pay attention."
    http://mileycyrustwerkingonreality.tumblr.com/

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  51. I didn't watch it but of course you can't help hear about it. I so agree with you on all of these points..the marriage one I am there with you 200%. It's sad today at the way people marry and throw it away like it's nothing.

    My 13 year old asked me why people are becoming less "moral" in this country. My only answer to her was this ..."America has been telling God to leave our government, leave our schools and to leave our homes. What that leaves us with is a country that loves themselves more then God. Without God and the Holy Spirit guiding us then we will only continue to slip further."

    Love your post.

    Laura @ Mice In The Kitchen

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  52. Great article Bon. I've been upset about this whole thing, and your article effectively speaks to many of the issues surrounding the whole debacle. No, Miley Cyrus doesn't deserve the brunt of the blame being slung her way (I don't agree with her behavior or example, but we all need to keep in mind that "slut shaming" is a real problem), but Robin Thicke just strikes me as an utterly despicable person. His song "Blurred Lines" is literally about ignoring sexual consent (Rather than "No means No."), because "I know you want it." Plus he said this about the video:

    "We tried to do everything that was taboo. Bestiality, drug injections, and everything that is completely derogatory towards women. Because all three of us are happily married with children, we were like, ‘We’re the perfect guys to make fun of this.’ People say, ‘Hey, do you think this is degrading to women?’ I’m like, ‘Of course it is. What a pleasure it is to degrade a woman. I’ve never gotten to do that before. I’ve always respected women.'"- Robin Thicke, on “Blurred Lines”."

    Ugh.

    Sorry for the rant. Thanks for being eloquent and intelligent about this, Bonnie. All the best :) -Trevor

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  53. #4 is my big one. The double standard with the whole debacle pisses me off to no end.

    I'll say this, though... I'm pretty sure we've all turned into our parents, because I'd bet you dollars to pesos they thought Madonna was the Antichrist.

    WE. GOT. OLD.

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  54. I will wAtch the classy woman Carry Underwood, Jennifer Hudson etc. Now those girls are classy they are beautiful inside and out. You will be treated how you act. They inspire wholesome attention. Their recording won't be ban from homes.

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  55. I will wAtch the classy woman Carry Underwood, Jennifer Hudson etc. Now those girls are classy they are beautiful inside and out. You will be treated how you act. They inspire wholesome attention. Their recording won't be ban from homes.

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  56. You hit the nail right on the head! As an 18 year old, the whole situation makes me feel uncomfortable. Walking past girls in town with their boobs and ass practically hanging out is just completely degrading and I really wish I could just grab a heap of cloth and wrap them up in it and cover them up. I worry about the fact that my boyfriends sister is growing up in a world where this is being publicized. That shops are making sizes smaller and smaller and the clothes tinier and tinier. It worries me that one day she could be like this. And it's just a sick sick world!

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  57. Anonymous9:53 AM

    U seriously could not have say it any better!! All of these points are extremely valid & too true. Hearing about this Miley Cyrus "performance" with Robin Thicke really just had me shaking my head. Love a honest post like this :)
    www.speakstyleandrock.com

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  58. The thing is while we can't entirely blame Miley, she is also an adult. She needs to take responsibility for her actions, responsibility for her actions over other young girls who look up to her and want to be like her. Everyone tries to one up each other in the controversy stakes and it has just got to the point where it is ridiculous what people will do to get magazine inches and the most retweets

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  59. Heck yeah Bonnie. Thanks for tackling this!

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  60. I feel like one thing that angers me that wasn't mentioned in this post though is that the dooshbaggery that Robin Thicke puts on creates a negative reinforcement for guys… the fact that Miley AND HIS WIFE are ok with a guy acting like that tells guys that that is what girls want.. not only are they ok with acting that way, but that they expect you to act that way. When girls put on his music and dance to it and sing along to it, they may not be realizing that guys see/hear that and think that women are turned on by men who are degrading to women. and that that is the expectation for them.
    In fact, my significant other and I listened to his song and bobbed our heads to it for about a week til we listened to the lyrics a little bit more and heard about the music video for it, and now we can't stand that song and what that guy promotes. All this stuff feeds stereotypes and reinforcement of bad behaviors for both genders and I think like you said, teenage guys are definitely malleable to forming their ideas about how men are expected to treat women and a lot of times those ideas never change.

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    1. Ditto! That's exactly what I thought. I'm so sick of books like 50 Shades of Gray and performers like Robin Thicke promoting the stereotype that women are ok with men who are distracted and uninterested and that the only thing we have to offer is our sexuality. Miley Cyrus looked completely ridiculous. And I would love it if women like her used their influence to promote more than just their bodies. Thanks for taking a stand against this music. I totally agree and have officially stopped listening to Blurred Lines (or anything else Robin Thicke-related.)

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  61. Please add this to your Best of Bon posts. You said everything I couldn't quite put into words. Thank you so much!!

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  62. Oh well said! As the mother of an 11yo who has watched Hanna Montana, and loved Miley's music....I agree with everything you've said. I was angry when I watched that performance...well actually I turned it off half-way through. I just couldn't allow it to be on in my home. How do we teach our daughters to value who they are and have self respect, when society tells them they are only worth something if they represent sex.

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  63. Lies #4 & #5 are my favorite. They are both accountable. More than just the two of them are! #4 especially though...

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  64. Anonymous9:06 AM

    Sharing! #4 is so absolutely true. Well, they're all true, but that's the biggest one being pushed by this debacle.

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  65. I know I'm a little late in finding this, but I just discovered your blog through SOML. Thank you for writing this article. Although I'm not that much older than my residents, I feel a need to protect the freshmen students I work with at my university and my sister & her friends. This article sums up my thoughts really well.

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  66. This is SO GOOD. I just found your blog through Story of my Life and I'm glad I did. You captured everything I have thought but haven't written down. Thank you for writing this!

    Chalayn

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  67. Anonymous12:36 PM

    Amen. I so agree with you on all five points. I was so upset to see this too. I was thinking why Miley? But you are right Thicke and MTV are more to blame then she is. It does not excuse her, but I think we can't just blame the woman in this mess. Thanks for pointing that out.

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  68. This is SUCH a great post! I agree whole heartily, thank you for sharing! :)

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  69. Totally agree, girl! With every single one. Especially the last one. It makes me so, so sad. Goodness-- I fear for my future kids and pray every day they will not buy into these above lies!

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  70. Yes! I love what you've said friend!!!

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  71. Anonymous3:29 PM

    The end of civilization as we know it...and I feel a bit queasy.

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