Annie Leibowitz Photographs Miley Cyrus – Already The Apologies Are Flying In
When Miley Cyrus was being photographed by Annie Leibowitz for Vanity Fair recently, there were some photos made that presented the 15 year old pop star in a more revealing vein.
No extreme exposure except for her naked back, but the tone of the image appears to be sexual in nature.
Or is it?
Although her minders and/or parents were on the set and seeing the images as they were made digitally, no seemed to mind at the time.
However, in retrospect, on another viewing, the PR machine is grinding out apologies to everyone and anyone who thinks about Miley Cyrus. With a squeaky clean image in severe contrast to the rest of the current crop of certain young female celebrities, these images are opening the door to another persona.
They are not made by the paparazzi, but by a noted master.
The image is a beautiful portrait, but the fact that she is a minor is slightly disturbing.
So young Miley Cyrus has issued a statement saying how embarrassed she is of the photos.
At first:
“I think it’s really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That’s what she wanted me to do, and you can’t say no to Annie. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like, ‘OK.’
And now:
“I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,” she said in a statement issued by her publicist, Jill Fritzo. “I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.”
From Annie Leibowitz:
“I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,” she said in a statement. “Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together, and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it.”The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”
What do you think? Smart move, exploitation, or much ado about nothing ? It’s photographic question, as well as a business and morals issue.
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I am the mother of 3 beautiful girls. I would be honored to have Annie Leibowitz shoot the exact photo of any one of my girls. Its Art and exquisitely portrayed as such. I also live in a small tourist town at a famous beach. The pre-adults who flock to our beach are wearing far less than Miley with parents present. If society doesnt want to see photos like this, then society needs to stop craming it down our kids throats through media advertisement such as television and magazine advertisements. As for the myspace photos. Kids will be kids. Once again society has a major influence on what our children see and absorb as the norm. Everyone has an opinion. This is just mine.
Friends, this is advice from Europe: stop behaving like morons and accept that Annie\’s art is art and not porn. Anything else is silly. Arthur Miller had to write the Crucible so that people understood that the McArthy Era was a great American mistake. I have better things to do than be taken into another American panic. Much ado about nothing. F.
I wonder how Annie reconciles her role in this controversy- is she the messenger, the medium, the author or just holding up the mirror so that we can all take a look at what we have become as a media-shaped culture. Can we honestly say that the images of Miley in tight designer pants (is this what a tween Barbie doll would look like?) and makeup is less destructive to the morals of her young fans than the portrait photograph of her without the expensive cosmetics and clothing… presented as a real person. When did photographs start lying to their viewers?
Miley, her parents, her agents and PR agency agreed to the concept for the shoot long before the cause celebre became a public controversy. Was it Miley the girl or Miley the public figure that agreed to participate in the photo session? With so many different agendas percolating it\’s difficult to see a clear outcome at this point.
And finally, it\’s not like we haven\’t been here before. In his book \”The Law [In Plain English] For Photographers\” Leonard D. Duboff (a practicing attorney and a past president of the Oregon Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts) states: \”At present, the U.S. Supreme Court recognizes two ways in which people may become public figures. The first is to \”occupy positions of such persuasive power and influence that they are deemed public figures for all purposes. This category includes those who are frequently in the news but are not public officials, such as Madonna and Brad Pitt (and now Miley). The fact that they are deemed public figures \”for all purposes\” means that the scope of privileged comment about them is virtually without limit.
The second way of becoming a public figure is to \”thrust [oneself] to the forefront of particular public controversies in order to influence the resolution of the issues involved. This category has two requirements. First, there must be a public controversy. The court in Time, Inc. v. Firestone held that not every newsworthy event is a public controversy; nor is an event a public controversy merely because there may be different opinions as to the propriety of an act.\” One might ask if Vanity Fair, Annie Leibowitz, and Miley voluntarily thrust themselves into the controversy in order to influence the issues. Were their actions calculated to draw attention to Miley\’s career or to arouse public sentiment. I\’m not a lawyer but I\’ve always loved to play with fire. Anyone out there getting hot yet?
Nick
i thought the photographs were beautiful, but then i love anything annie does. her shots are simplistic in that she captures the reality and beauty of her subject without all the manmade enhancements. i\’m sorry miley no longer appreciates the true artistry there. in a few years she will, i\’m sure.
Annie Leibowitz has been selling softcore porn as art for years. Woppi Goldburg in a bathtub of milk is art all right. Anne is applauded by the Oh So Hip crowd for whom there are no limits on behavior or what is proper conduct.
If you dare suggest that there is something wrong in photographing a 15 year old girl in a provocative pose you will be pounced on as out of touch or even worse, gasp, a conservative.
A very disturbing aspect of this whole incident is that Miley\’s parents were on the set and allowed their daughter to be exploited in this way.
One comment Miley made was also very disturbing, she said, \”You just don\’t say no to Anne.\”
Well Miley, if you allow yourself to be exploited and can\’t learn to say no you will end up as so many others have in Hollywood, burned out, drugged up, and out of work.
Miley\’s franchise is her good girl image. Parents spend millions for Miley concert tickets and other merchandise just because of this image. They don\’t want their children exposed to more softcore porn, rap music, and other negative influences disguised as art.
Miley in a bed sheet, naked, in goth makeup is not what they want as a role model for their daughters.
Parents need to exercise control in their children\’s lives and keep them away from dangerous influences.
Miley will have her whole adult life to make decisions for herself. But at 15 her parents let her down on this one.
Tom
I agree with Tom on this one. It\’s not Miley\’s fault but Billy Ray\’s! Pushing the envelope until the stuff hits the fan and then crying wolf when folks scream?
C\’mon!!!!!
Annie\’s job is to pursue her craft and I\’m sure she would\’nt have done \”the shot\” if there was any objection from any of the Cyrus(es?).
Hannah Montana may be the Shirley Temple of our time but is this the pursuit of fame( with Dad holding the puppet strings) or downright exploitation?
Any of this stuff would be tough for a 15 year old. Her parents should\’ve known better.
Oh wait…did this happen before or after her last revelation about having a job scrubbing toilets? Another publicity stunt by the Cyrus family.
Will Miley end up like Britney?
i luv miley she�ssooooooooooooooo coooooooooooooooooooooool !!!
Miley has sold millions and millions of CDs already, and she\\\’s only 16!! She has tons of fans and will be more popular in the future. Love you, Miley