The international media has been reporting that the new Miley Cyrus “Bangerz” Tour goes beyond anything yet seen in the entertainment world: “One insider said a parent contacted Miley's record company Interscope after they walked out of the concert saying they would not subject their nine-year-old to a ‘porn show.’” After her X-Rated behavior at last year’s MTV Awards, it’s a wonder why any adult would even think of taking a child to see Miley Cyrus. But, the vast majority of Cyrus concert goers are preteens and teens. This is testimony as to how thoroughly pornography infiltrated the so-called main-stream. Yet, parents are buying. Analysts from “Forbes Magazine” have concluded that most Cyrus concert attendees are underage and their tickets were purchased by their parents; hence, Cyrus tickets average $20.00 higher than a comparable seat at a Lady Gaga concert who pulls in an older (college-aged) and financially independent demographic. Only, Cyrus takes the more pretentious and Madonna-esque pornography of Gaga and strips it of all affectation to artistry. In a sense, she has successfully removed the homogenized and prettified vision of porn, most effectively materialized by the candy-encrusted costumes of Katy Perry, and returned perversity to its roots. Among her on-stage antics, in front of screaming fans, Cyrus mocks fellatio with a Bill Clint masked male dancer, feigns masturbation, and repeatedly massages her breasts. Most shockingly, even to me, she faces the audience, spread eagle, and reenacts a classic porn shot: it’s a sick homage to the first porn photos of the 1960s and 70s. It’s horrifying. Seeing these still-pictures, I even found myself instantaneously suffering from post-traumatic symptoms: going back to a childhood filled with garishly oversaturated color centerfolds. This is a nightmarish fantasy that currently has no equal in contemporary pop-culture. But, what is hardcore, because of internet porn desensitization, is no longer a thing of ugliness. This also proves how these forms of demonic activity are intergenerational, passing from one to the other, through the survival of the image, and then intensifying the attachment when it reappears. For most, it’s simply passed-off as harmless entertainment. As Cyrus herself said, in response to the criticism: “I hope people open their minds and they look at my tour as something that I do feel is educational for kids.”
↧