Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of all equality to men. Irony is Miley Cyrus declaring that she is “one of the biggest feminists in the world,” post-swinging around naked on a wrecking ball and twerking against Robin Thicke in a scandalous leotard.
This is the same singer who allowed hosts of radio station Capital FM to drum on her rear, wholeheartedly thanking them “for banging me!”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, actress Emma Watson sits with her head held high in front of a standing ovation at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City after delivering a captivating speech about feminism.
Watson sparked discussion all over the world when she talked about men’s role in feminism and told of personal experiences with being seen as “too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and unattractive.” After embarking on a mission to redefine “feminism” with her “HeForShe” campaign, she is garnering male and female support worldwide.
Watson’s appointment to ambassador of the UN’s Entity for Gender Equality gathered such a response that the UN website consequently crashed. She did not stop there; Watson has continued to express full support for the feminist movement through Twitter, denouncing sexist foreign politicians. She constantly emphasizes the HeForShe campaign in daily updates across all her various social media networks and she has gathered an incredible fan base in support of her efforts.
But surprisingly, Watson has yet to appear on Time’s 100 Most Influential Women; what’s more, Cyrus is No.2 on the magazine’s most recent list.
Is Miley Cyrus really a feminist? Or is she just attempting to explain her inappropriate stage presence by arguing that she’s “showing girls that they need to be confident?”
Yes, because confidence is showing up pretty much naked to the VMAs and grinding on the one person in the world who is the opposite of a feminist; let’s not forget, Miley Cyrus is the reason Robin Thicke’s wife filed for divorce.
She dons a pixie cut to symbolize feminism, yet advertises herself in a less than classy manner, with nothing on except a thin piece of fabric and her hair tied up in two buns. Her wardrobe seems limited to clothing no less skimpy than leotards and a plethora of translucent crop tops. Modern elegance, no?
What has feminism come down to? Women, including Cyrus herself, will blatantly shout, “I AM A FEMINIST,” without having a complete understanding of what it means.
Cyrus does not define feminism. She has nothing to do with any of the values and morals that people like Emma Watson strive to achieve with the feminist movement. Equality doesn’t mean that both men and women can objectify themselves. Equality means no more objectification.
So let’s leave Cyrus in the pages of the National Enquirer and off Time magazine’s next list of most influential women. It’s disappointing and disheartening to hear children singing “We Can’t Stop” at elementary schools, or to see them twerking, as if nothing is wrong with it.
On the other hand, it’s uplifting to know that our world has people like Emma Watson to lead us through difficult issues like the struggle for gender equality. There’s a lot of hope in this generation, despite the occasional Miley Cyrus twerking her way into headlines.