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My Ex-Teen Icon This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine.


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The other day I was walking down the aisle of my neighborhood Super Walmart, desperately scanning the shelves for Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. To my dismay and shock, there were none. I turned to leave when suddenly I came face to face with my mortal enemy: Hannah Montana. There she was, staring into space as though a crisp hundred dollar bill was dangling from a fishing pole before her.

“Hannah Montana cereal,” I muttered, cursing Disney. But I suppose I should have known better. Did I honestly expect Disney not to cash in on every opportunity to plaster Miley Cyrus's face onto products? It was as if Disney had been shipping off Hannah Montana stickers to every manufacturer with the note, “Use these at your discretion; they'll make anything sell.” Because why wouldn't I want to buy a product if a chick in a wig is telling me to?

I was a sixth grader when the Hannah Montana phenomenon landed on our planet. My friends and I became obsessed with the show, to the point that we made our own music videos and memorized the title of every episode. When I was in seventh grade, this success grabbed the attention of those out of range of Disney Channel's hypnotron, and Miley Cyrus slowly but surely approached the teen audience, eager and cautious.

It was fine, it was all fine. No one expected her to stay young forever, she had a career to worry about and pressure to be cool among her own peers. But as the reports of tasteless photos appeared, I stopped staring with a blind eye. Who was this girl I looked up to? I was the same age this “role model” was when she started running off the track, and I had never done anything remotely like that.

So now, whenever I walk into a store, I feel betrayed by my ex-teen icon. Her very image screams “Look at me! I may act trashy and dim, but as long as I'm not caught pulling a Winona Ryder, Disney will continue paying me a gazillion bucks!” I wish I could say to her, “Be a role model or stop putting on that wig to reap all the benefits.”

I'm not as cynical as I seem though. I hope Miley takes the right path. I hope she doesn't become the next Britney. Or Lindsay. Or Jamie Lynn. But everyone grows up, and odds are that if they come from Disney, they end up in Vegas. And I don't appreciate Miley trying to persuade me to buy her bicycle.

This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. This piece has been published in Teen Ink’s monthly print magazine.




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This article has 199 comments. Post your own!

kairi.kaylynThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Jan. 31 at 8:49 pm:
How I feel about this situations sometimes.
 
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swcricket98This teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Dec. 10, 2011 at 9:08 pm:
I really think that you should think more highly of yourself, because this piece reflects tremendous writing potential. As long as you know that which type of style and tone you use depends on the topic, then you don't need to worry about having that teenage flare. The tone was perfect for this topic and I thoroughy enjoyed reading, even though it may have been short.
 
swcricket98This teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. replied...
Dec. 10, 2011 at 9:09 pm :
*thoroughly
 
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irishlass317This teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Nov. 26, 2011 at 4:19 pm:
I agree with you about miley. she has great potential, and i am sad that she wasted it. You would be an amazing journalist!!!! Keep writing!! I think you could be even more amazing than you already are!!!!!!
 
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star2briteThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Nov. 4, 2011 at 8:10 am:
You said your work is "nothing great" but I beg to disagree! This article is funny and reflective with great voice. You don't need disclaimers, keep writing! :)
 
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tr3bl3grrlThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Oct. 13, 2011 at 4:22 pm:
This was great! Hannah Montana has grown into something similar to Ronald McDonald--a clown who only wants to make money.
 
SmellyMichellyThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. replied...
Nov. 26, 2011 at 1:55 pm :

I agree with you . This article is great. the writers' feeling is there, the writer is obviously sincere abuot this and I admire said person for that, but more importantly the writer is right!.....

Your right,  Miley Cyrus is a clown.... so many little girls looked up to her and now can't understand why noone likes her. It's gross and unacceptible. What she's done is just sad.

 
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BlueBubbles95This teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Sept. 10, 2011 at 9:48 pm:
I loved the article, it speaks the truth about miley cyrus!
 
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ohheyyyelli said...
Aug. 30, 2011 at 6:34 pm:

I think this article was really good! Very nicely written and you had good supporting arguments, so when I say this, just know it has nothing to do with your article; I disagree. Yes, it's really dumb for Miley to take nudes and whatnot, but you have to look at things in her perspective. She was treated like a child for so long, I think she may have done it to feel older. She had her reasons, whether it was right or wrong. Many people, especially teenagers make mistakes. Just because you didn... (more »)

 
Lola_BlackThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. replied...
Sept. 21, 2011 at 3:03 pm :
I agree with you completely. This article is awesome, but people do make mistakes. No need to be so harsh.
 
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RhythmAndRhyme said...
Aug. 30, 2011 at 7:32 am:
I completely and utterly share your exact opinion. Wow. Nice article! This was spectacularly written! :)
 
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Alon_FreevoiceThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Jul. 26, 2011 at 7:45 pm:
This article is so true. About Miley, I think she became what she became because of pressure. Being a celebrity is a tough job. Maybe that's the reason why celebrities start from good to bad, or bad to bad. :(

Good job with you article though. :)
 
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LifeWriteThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Jul. 17, 2011 at 4:31 pm:
Ugh! I could not agree with you more!! The way celebrities become the means of propaganda and advertisements makes me want to scream, "Is there ANYONE in this world who is REAL???" And your writing is very good, too by the way! You could definitely be a journalist; if not news, definitely opinion or feature! Keep at it--you totally have potential! :)
 
LifeWriteThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. replied...
Jul. 17, 2011 at 4:31 pm :
Could you also take a look at my article "Lost Education?"? I'd love to have your feedback on it!
 
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hanny81292 said...
Jul. 17, 2011 at 4:19 pm:
i think thats great! but as a child im sure your inhibitions werent set as high as they are now, which is what miley was when she recieved the opprotunity, a child. my point is to be a star might not be everyones dreams, but we ALL have moments of selfishness where we want to do something for ourselves and not consider the consequence
 
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hanny81292 said...
Jun. 3, 2011 at 10:40 pm:

Let me ask you something, if you had the opprotunity as a child to become a disney star would you not have taken it? and if when that kicked off you had they opprotunity to branch out into your own artist would you not have taken that either?

Miley Cyrus recieved the opprotunity of a life time and took it, and every single one of us would have as well. now to my point, the reason that Miley, Britteny, Linsday, and Jamie Lynn all turned out they way they did is because it is not healthy... (more »)

 
Mmbusch This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Jun. 18, 2011 at 4:37 pm :
Right, I see your point. 
 
BrightBurningCampeadorThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Jul. 17, 2011 at 3:43 pm :
I would turn it down. I don't care about fame or money for it's own sake. I want to change the world by helping people who need help.
 
ohheyyyelli replied...
Aug. 30, 2011 at 6:38 pm :

Maybe now, you wouldn't take the opportunity, because you're older and mature, but what about when you were much younger? Ask almost any young child if they want to act and sing on their own Disney show, and they won't decline.

Also, performing is her passion. Would you turn down an opportunity to pursue you're passion?

Sorry, I'm feeling very debate-y tonight.

 
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Carly M. said...
Jun. 3, 2011 at 7:21 pm:
I really like this article. I also really like that the picture is of Owl City.
 
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Sunshine445 said...
May 14, 2011 at 5:35 pm:

WiseChild: 

Of course she can make mistakes. I'm sure you've made just as many mistakes as her, but hers are more exaggerated because she's more well known than you are. Get off your high horse and understand that 18 is still very young, and that she's allowed to make a mistake or two. In my opinion,she's trashy and she's getting the wrong kind of attention, but it's the job of parents to protect their kids from this stuff, and otherwise, it isn't polluting anyones mind, so why th... (more »)

 
Mmbusch This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
May 29, 2011 at 6:59 pm :

Well, I appreciate your friendly concern but fortunately I am on no high horse. I wish you could meet me, though, and understand that I am not a pretentious person that slews out criticism on people I've never met. 

I'm merely giving my opinion in the most artistic way I can. Miley Cyrus has made herself a public figure and as such she incurs the result of her fame, which is that she will be judged and talked about, particularly when she corrupts her former role-model image to my ... (more »)

 
Ramsha S. replied...
Jun. 3, 2011 at 11:19 pm :

I agree with Mmbusch. She should be even more careful with her choice of clothing and aware that millions of girls worldwide view her as a role model.

And by that age, teens know very well what people should wear (or how much in her case) and the consequences of their actions. We're not little kids, we know exactly what we're doing. 

 
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PurpleNerd said...
May 12, 2011 at 6:46 pm:
Hey! Great work that's so cool that you show your attitude through your work. I'm also 15 and have put some poetry on this website as well. If you want to talk just look up PurpleNerd. I'd be glad to see how well this has benifited you in wanting to become a journalist. Good luck with all you do.
 
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GetKnockedDown said...
May 12, 2011 at 5:09 pm:

Let the girl do her. As with anything- If you don't like it, stay away from it. Shes beautiful and  I bet she gets some damn good coke, so if you don't like it why don't you all become famous and make a better example of America. She's a teen just like us after all, embrase it.

And as you wanting to be a Journalist thats awsome, Our generation of America needs some great, open eyed, painfully honest writers to represent us. But don't get sucked into cliques like writing about Disn... (more »)

 
BrightBurningCampeadorThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. replied...
Jul. 17, 2011 at 3:50 pm :
If people just ignore everything that is wrong in the world then human civilization would collapse under the weight of its own evil. Would you ignore murder or rape? Sure these things are much more terrible than the whole mily cyrus thing, but I beleive in principles. If I give up my principles because I think that it won't hurt anyone this time then next I'll give up that much easier.
 
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.iloveyou. said...
May 12, 2011 at 1:28 pm:

"But everyone grows up, and odds are that if they come from Disney, they end up in Vegas." 

That is too funny. Great way to end a paper. :)

 
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Smurfy_Liebe said...
Apr. 29, 2011 at 12:56 pm:
Amen!!! I completely agree!!
 
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AfterLife said...
Apr. 20, 2011 at 11:09 pm:
that is true how she went down hill like that. I use to like her myself but then that stuff happen. Okay she changed and grow up cool so have I. then she lost it plus the Media didn't help. and your going to be a great Jounalist CONGRAS on that.
 
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rockstardream said...
Apr. 20, 2011 at 11:21 am:
It's sad really, how her career has taken a complete U-Turn for the worst! I was in 4th grade when she hit it big, and I was a totally devoted obsessed fan. When the Hannah Montana 3D Concert Experience came out (of course being a huge fan I went to see it), in our local newspaper, someone had published a movie review. Being the fan that I was, it was Hannah Memorobelia, so of course I saved it. The other day I found this newspaper article, and read over it. A particular sentence that stood... (more »)
 
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leafyThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 4:50 pm:
hannah montana was uber-popular when i was in 3rd-5th grade and i never really liked her. frankly, it kinda confused me why people would like her acting and music, i cringe almost every time i hear it. and about you article, i think its pretty good! i hope you continue your hope as a journalist and end up being one! (btw have you ever been to the newseum in d.c.? you might be interested considering your career choice)
 
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Mary said...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 2:24 pm:
Thank you for sharing this artical! it was very, very well writen :) i am not a Hannah Montana fan (and never have been), i completely agree with you! Keep up the good work! Don't ever give up on your dream! You can be a Journalist! You've got the talent. you've proven that!
 
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Tbug1997This teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Feb. 22, 2011 at 4:40 pm:
Miley Cyrus well lets see i dont hate her music wise she was a good role model before she became a lil well... trashy
 
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xMeadowx said...
Feb. 13, 2011 at 9:46 pm:
She does need to choose whether she wants to move on from Disney or stick with them. But honestly, with a career so big, do you think she meant for those photos to get out? She hasn't exactly given off any sign to me personally that she's gone off the deep end like a lot of the Disney stars but she's getting there...Great aritcle, by the way. I love it.  
 
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michealangeloThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Feb. 13, 2011 at 2:41 pm:
She needs to understand that little girls look up to her.  If she did, she wouldn't be doing all the things she is.  And if she does know and just doesn't care, then she doesn't deserve a cent of all the money given to her by Disney, a KID'S COMPANY.  She's none to smart, in my opinion.
 
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HorseLover said...
Feb. 13, 2011 at 6:50 am:
I totally agree with you. Great article. :)
 
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Noxfaratos said...
Feb. 13, 2011 at 1:59 am:
I like your writing, but I can't agree with you. I don't feel like she's gone off in an awful direction. I know she needs to put up a certain image, but kids are not her responsibility, it's not her job to raise them. Plus teens do stupid things, but she has the whole world watching. I don't agree with some of the stuff she's done, but I also can't hate her for it. Just my opinion.
 
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wannabeaphotogirl said...
Jan. 1, 2011 at 7:03 pm:
I liked the article. Just a heads up though, since you do want to be a journalist, journalists are supposed to not show bias according to my journalism teacher, and as much as  i love sarcasm, it is not supposed to make it's way into journalistic pieces
 
WordgasmThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. replied...
Jan. 26, 2011 at 7:29 am :
Not in a news article they aren't, but this is an opinion article. It is all about bias and the authors own thoughts and experiences
 
wannabeaphotogirl replied...
Jan. 26, 2011 at 8:15 am :
yes i am aware that is an opinion article. i was reading the note/information on the side and referencing that. I think it is an incredibly well written article. i much enjoyed reading it. i just know i tended to do better when i wrote my opinions in articles than when i wrote unbiased articles it was merelly meant as a reminder that news articles are to be unbiased. i in no way meant to offend anyone. its a GREAT article.
 
wannabeaphotogirl replied...
Jan. 26, 2011 at 8:18 am :
i also see that she meantioned now that she knows it has too much attitude. i must have forgot that part and im very sorry.
 
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eye543 said...
Dec. 31, 2010 at 9:28 pm:
I heard about that. Apparently she was holding onto the pole for support, but the picture made it seem like something else.
 
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deathbycrayons said...
Dec. 31, 2010 at 7:59 pm:
haha the last line was epic! I totally agree with you on every part of this :) 
 
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PeetaMellark said...
Dec. 31, 2010 at 1:49 pm:
I dunno if it was intended to be funny or not, but I found a lot of the sarcasm and stuff really entertaining...:) This is good writing, too, btw!
 
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NicoleSThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Dec. 31, 2010 at 1:12 pm:

i completely agree with you! it is her life, but she took on the role of hannah montana, and with it the responsibility of a role model for millions of girls...she's so irresponsible and she just gets worse with time

it's inevitable that she'll end up like britney or lindsay, which is unfortunate, because, even though i dont like her or her show or her music very much, she had a good thing going for little girls to look up to

 
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blackalsored said...
Dec. 24, 2010 at 4:59 pm:
Just let her mess up her own life! dtop posting things that makes her life suck even more
 
blackalsored replied...
Dec. 24, 2010 at 5:00 pm :
shes just growning up
 
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SickImageThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Dec. 9, 2010 at 11:07 pm:

I love the last line :)

I can relate to this, although i was too old to be captured by Hanah Montana, my phase was lizzie mcguire. I was obsessed lol.

Something people should know about the disney channel is that it is made to help kids achieve careers in singing and acting. So when hanah turns into Miley and the show ends, or lizzie, or raven, or whoever, Disney is succeeding. That is the point. My dad explained it to me after the lizzie show ended and I was furi... (more »)

 
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Trulie said...
Dec. 9, 2010 at 6:45 pm:
You're right. After all, she can't be tamed.
 
georgia117 replied...
Dec. 31, 2010 at 12:34 am :
that just made my day...
 
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