Junior government and politics major
It’s an age-old truism that twerking and teddy bears should never mix. Regardless, Miley Cyrus got the reaction she was looking for. After her now (in)famous MTV Video Music Awards performance on Aug. 25, during which she got down, threw her tongue out and jammed a giant foam finger in Robin Thicke’s crotch, Cyrus issued the following tweet: “Smilers! My VMA performance had 306.000 tweets per minute. That’s more than the blackout or Superbowl! #fact.” Smilers indeed!
Obviously, Cyrus embraced the philosophy that any publicity is good publicity. Fortunately for her, she wasn’t reading the million-plus tweets made during her twerkfest. Cyrus was slammed for her attire, her exploitive use of black female backup dancers and the general tastelessness of her performance.
Still, while I was no fan of her act, much of the criticism was misplaced. Rather than going after the time or place of her stunt — MTV rated the program as appropriate for 14-year-olds, according to the Parents Television Council — many attacked the very act of her sexual expression alone.
Amid the rampant hysteria over another corrupted Disney princess, some writers and talking heads went too far, connecting Cyrus’ act to completely unrelated stories. Notably, the VMAs came on the heels of a much-publicized decision by a Montana judge to sentence a teacher who had slept with a 14-year-old student to only 30 days in jail. The girl, who the judge determined was “older than her chronological age,” committed suicide after the affair. A string of commentators tried to tie the events together, with disastrous consequences. Incredibly, a recent USA Today column went so far as to suggest that performances like Cyrus’ may contribute to rape.
Underlying this conclusion is a fundamentally misogynistic logic, one all too common on college campuses. Rather than viewing acts of female sexual expression in their own right, some people first consider the negative reactions that sexual expression can elicit — “That girl is dressed like a slut — she’s asking for it.” Implicitly, a share of responsibility is transferred from attacker to victim, putting the burden on women to not “egg on” sexual predators.
This is a backward mentality, and it’s harmful to the college party scene. College women are in a bind; they face intense pressure to dress lightly when they go out, but they have to worry about the consequences of appearing “too inviting.” Freeing up women to act without restrictions would create a far more relaxed party atmosphere. Thus, holding predators entirely responsible for their actions and rooting out sexual assault is a social and moral imperative.
Admittedly, this argument contains an important element of self-interest. As a college-aged male, I find the notion that the way someone dances or dresses could dictate my actions repulsive. This line of thought reduces males to mindless animals, guided only by our libido. College guys should man up, reject this slight and take responsibility for their own actions.
Charlie Bulman is a sophomore government and politics major. He can be reached at cbulmandbk@gmail.com.
