WHY MILEY CYRUS' FEMINISM IS NOT ABOUT MILEY CYRUS By
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“HOT MODEL BITCHES”: WHY MILEY CYRUS’ FEMINISM IS NOT ABOUT MILEY CYRUS by Hailey B. Winder Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Politics Acadia University April, 2015 © Copyright by Hailey B. Winder, 2015 This thesis by Hailey B. Winder is accepted in its present form by the Department of Politics as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours Approved by the Thesis Supervisor __________________________ ____________________ Dr. Geoffrey Whitehall Date Approved by the Head of the Department __________________________ ____________________ Dr. Andrew Biro Date Approved by the Honours Committee __________________________ ____________________ Dr. Anthony Thomas Date ii I, Hailey B. Winder, grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to reproduce, loan or distribute copies of my thesis in microform, paper or electronic formats on a non-profit basis. I, however, retain the copyright in my thesis. _________________________________ Signature of Author _________________________________ Date iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Geoffrey Whitehall for his guidance and encouragement during this process and throughout my undergraduate degree. Each of the professors in the Politics department throughout the years have challenged and motivated me, and I am incredibly grateful for the time that I have spent with them all. I would especially like to thank Dr. Rachel Brickner for her valuable insights. While there are many people who have contributed greatly to my work, I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family and friends who supported me through this process. iv Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... IV ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................. VI INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: CONTEXTUALIZING FEMINISM ..................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: CYRUS AND HER “HOT MODEL BITCHES” .............................................. 20 CHAPTER 3: RESONANCE ....................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 4: CYRUS IS ART .................................................................................................... 40 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 50 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................................ 53 v Abstract The aim of this project is to mobilize the notoriety of contemporary pop-singer and self- proclaimed feminist Miley Cyrus in order to engage with a philosophical rearticulation of feminist theory. I trace the development of feminist thought in the United States to situate feminism as a self-critical ontology. In order to contextualize contemporary feminist critiques of her, I conduct a media analysis of the performance art of Cyrus. While these critiques highlight many problematic tendencies inherent in her work, I argue that Cyrus is a political figure that embodies patriarchal contemporary social and political anxieties. Ultimately, I argue that a philosophical framework that situates Cyrus as a work of art rather than a producer of art, is the best way to engage Cyrus’ feminism. vi Introduction The concept of the rebelling female celebrity is not new in popular culture. Celebrity breakdowns, rebellions, and outbursts are the norm in Hollywood. Through the past century, stars such as Judy Garland and Bridget Anderson fell victim to the fast-paced lifestyles of Hollywood (Frascella 2005, 293). This is especially the case with stars like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Vanessa Hudgens, and Amanda Bynes, each trying to break free from their innocent, virginal personas. When we hear another ex-Disney starlet has shaven her head, been arrested for drug possession, or released a raunchy and controversial new album, we tend to dismiss it as the natural tipping point between the pristine, asexual Disney star and the sultry, sexual adult woman. This transition is often understood as the expression of sexual maturity on the part of the star, yet it is often spoken of as a shameful fall from their previous good-girl, Disney star persona. Gender theorist Tina Vares calls the phenomenon “fallen bad girl [status],” in which these stars are “condemned as behaving in morally reprehensible ways” (Vares 2011, 142). There is an important political and social tension within the contemporary paradigm that sees the construction of the deviant female celebrity as a bad influence because her “sexuality [is] considered to have crossed a normative boundary” (Vares 2011, 142). The young rebelling female celebrity is incorporated into a “highly accessible moral discourse,” (Vares 2011, 142) that either positions her as a bad influence and slut or as an individual suffering from a psychotic or mental disorder. In some of aforementioned cases, the female celebrity may very well have succumbed to some underlying mental illness, or fallen victim to the fast-paced party life of the celebrity. Some celebrities do simply let loose, outlandishly exhibiting their 1 sexuality, openly embracing the media and the ensuing publicity storm (Vares 2011, 142). However, a gendered element is present in these transformations. Oona E. Goodin-Smith highlights this gender imbalance as she points out the fact that “an overwhelming amount of these train wreck stars, or the ones who seem to propel themselves off the deep end […] appear to be female,” (Goodin-Smith 2014, 26) while their male counterparts such as Ryan Gosling and Zac Efron have “transitioned successfully into mature individual careers” (Goodin-Smith 2014, 26). Unfortunately for female celebrities, if they want to stay in the limelight, their transition is often defined by one of two paths: entering psychosis or becoming sluts. I argue that the way in which mainstream feminism and popular culture situate the female celebrity is insufficient because it does not allow for the creative rearticulation of their feminist subjectivity. I will mobilize Miley Cyrus, contemporary pop-singer and controversy queen, in order to engage with this rearticulation. Though this is a single case study, there are many questions about Cyrus’ “cray cray, just Miley being Miley exploits,” (Goodin-Smith 2014, 31) that must be addressed in order to begin interrogating the larger phenomenon at hand. The gendered aspect of this phenomenon is important as it becomes less about the publicized incidents of rebellion which these female stars engage in, and more about the manner in which these incidents are presented and spoken about in the mainstream media. Many female stars have publicly announced their rejection of the good girl in favor of the sexy, controversial woman, trading one gendered manifestation of the female for another (Gevinson 2014). However, what is important through this discussion of Cyrus is the manner in which her 2 particular post-Disney construction is spoken about and criticized in mainstream popular culture. Though the reliance on the corporeal fabrication of gender identity is problematic, Cyrus has instigated heated conversations concerning the physical manifestations of performative gender for contemporary feminist discussion (O’Connor 2013; Makarechi 2013; Kagel 2013). Cyrus has traded in her heteronormative feminine Hannah Montana identity for a peach colored bikini suit and an androgynous haircut which complements her boyish frame (Gevinson 2014). Tavi Gevinson sat down with the starlet after the release of her 2013 album Bangerz and addressed this new sexuality: [Miley Cyrus] didn’t follow in the footsteps of young female stars who play sexy for the benefit of the audience but have no sex life of their own (at least not that they’d admit to); instead, her performance of sex is goofy and inaccessible, intended only for her own pleasure and fun. (Gevinson 2014) In order to engage with the gender construction and feminism of Cyrus, I will trace the development of feminist thought in the United States over the past two centuries. Through this historical analysis, I will address the emphasis of physical manifestations of the female gender and race. Through this contextualization of feminism, it will become clear that there has been a particular fixation on the corporeality of the female subject in opposition to their male counterparts. This subordinate feminine identity is one that posits the female as a sexual object rather than a sexual subject (Fredrickson 1997, 180). The aim of this project is not simply to investigate the implications of this particular fabrication of Cyrus’ new gender-bending identity. Rather, I will argue that a feminist framework enables new ways of understanding feminist subjectivity. Feminism seems to have been the buzzword of 2013-2014 celebrity culture. Stars from pop diva Beyoncé to Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart have confirmed their 3 allegiance with the feminist movement. Emma Watson’s powerful United Nations address also called for the reclamation of and involvement with the term feminism (Robinson 2014). However, some celebrities