When I was younger, I was a huge fan of Hannah Montana, both her music and her television show. Hannah Montana was Miley Cyrus‘ alter ego, a character she played on television and during her concerts. I had every piece of Hannah Montana merchandise you could imagine— a bedspread and sheets, a guitar-shaped bank, t-shirts, bags and so much more.
I was even able to see her in concert when I was in the fourth grade. When I saw her in concert, she was just starting to release music as Miley Cyrus. Half of the show was Montana and the Jonas Brothers played while she changed into Cyrus.
She also released an album that was part Hannah songs and part Miley songs. I was such a big fan. She was a role model for me at a young age. Also, I loved the songs she released as Miley during the later years of Hannah Montana, like “Party in the U.S.A.” and “The Climb.”
A few years ago, when she came out with the song “We Can’t Stop,” twerked on the VMAs, wore crazy and revealing clothing and rode a wrecking ball in a music video, it shocked me. The girl I was seeing was nothing like the girl who used to be my role model. Right away, I knew that I did not like this particular stage of her career. I did not want to be known as a fan of hers anymore.
I understand that she grew up and wanted to seem older and not be known as a Disney Channel star anymore; however, she could have gone about it in a different way. For years, when I would see her on TV or in magazines, I would change the channel or flip to a different page.
Recently, she seems to be changing and that caught my attention. She is not dressing like she did years ago. It seems like she is going back to basics, to when she was my role model.
When she released “Malibu,” I decided to listen to it. I thought I was going to hate it. I thought it was going to be like “We Can’t Stop” or “Wrecking Ball,” but it was not. It was good, simple, stripped down and not about partying. The video didn’t have any twerking or very revealing outfits. It was just her on a beach. I really liked it and I soon realized I was starting to like her again.
If she keeps releasing songs and videos like this, I might become a huge fan again. I have nothing against her songs that she released a few years ago, I just didn’t want to associate myself as being a fan because of the image she was portraying at that time.
Honestly, the songs she released a few years ago were catchy and I wouldn’t turn off the radio or change the station when they were on. I just turned the tv off or changed the page of a magazine because I didn’t like the outfits she was wearing or the way she was portraying herself.
Very recently, she not only is changing her look and sound, she is being philanthropic and speaking about, as well as doing things for different causes she believes in. She recently donated to Hurricane Harvey relief and got emotional about it on the Ellen Degeneres show. Other causes she has been involved with include animal rights and homeless LGBT youth. She is starting to turn herself around and reinvent her image.
There are certain things about her that have stayed the same throughout her career, like her relationship with her family. She is part of a big family and seemed to always be really close with every member of her family. She worked with her father for many years on the show “Hannah Montana” and even some shows before that.
Not only is she really close with her parents, she is close with her brothers and sisters too. Many of her siblings are involved in either acting or music, or both, and she shows support for them all. The aspect of her life and personality was something that I always admired about her, even around the time when she released “Wrecking Ball.”
I am also very close with my family and they support me in whatever I am doing and are there for me in hard times. So Cyrus’s bond with her family is something that is relatable, in my opinion.
A good example of the bond Miley Cyrus has with her family is in her family’s episode of Carpool Karaoke. Everyone was there— Cyrus’s sisters Brandi and Noah, her brothers Trace and Braison, her parents Billy Ray and Tish and you even saw her grandmother at one point. You saw how close they really are and it was nice.
Even though there was a short amount of time where I did not like the way Miley Cyrus was portraying herself, I have always been a fan of her music and continue to admire who she is today.
