So, I’ve been reading all the hate lately on Miley Cyrus and her new single We Can’t Stop. I’m a little too old to have ever been a fan of Miley, so I don’t really have an opinion about her. But the video caught my attention – in that it seems to be a cross between making fun of her old Disney self and giving a giant finger to the adults around her who tell her to act a certain way, to be a certain kind of person. (Oh, and there’s a lot of weird shit like taxidermy, disembodied heads made of fries, and blood that looks like pink goo. Huh.)
What was most interesting was her comment about the video, and her career in general, made to Billboard in their latest feature of her. She said:
“Right now, when people go to iTunes and listen to my old music, it’s so irritating to me because I can’t just erase that stuff and start over. My last record I feel so disconnected from — I was 16 or 17 when I made it. When you’re in your 20s, you just don’t really know that person anymore.”
I’d have to agree with Miley on this one. But I’m sure when she’s on the cusp of turning 30 things are going to look a lot different, and she’ll probably be rolling her eyes at her 20 year-old self. Or at least her video. That’s just how it is.
I remember thinking I was pretty wise – smarter than most of the older adults I knew – when I graduated college. I was ready for the world. I was going to change things. (Or I was going to get drunk. I kind of vacillated between the two.) But then you realize your priorities shift as you grow older, as you gain responsibility, as you gain experiences, as you struggle, as you get up and try again. It’s not so easy, and life isn’t one giant drunken Molly-fueled orgy as Miley would like us to believe. (For those of you scratching your heads, Molly is a form of ecstasy that’s popular with the kids right now.)
I guess we’re all guilty of watching other people’s train wrecks. I mean, look at the success of Real Housewives. We love watching them get drunk and throw tables at each other. Maybe it reminds us of high school. They aren’t particularly grown-up. Maybe it makes us feel better, because when we think about our younger selves I’m sure there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments, too.
All I want to say is – if your future thirty, forty, or eighty year-old self could meet your current self, she probably would nod her head knowingly and wait for you to catch up.
About Kelly Seal
Kelly is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, CA. She blogs about dating, relationships, personal growth and what "healthy living" means to her. You can follow her on Google+, Twitter @kellyseal or through her website www.kellyseal.com.
[…] spoke a couple of months back about the weird video for Miley Cyrus’s hit single We Can’t Stop. And then came all the shock and pyscho-analysis tossed around after […]