Move over, Madonna. Look out, Lady Gaga. Miley Cyrus has arrived, and the 20-year-old underwear-wearing, strip-act-strutting musical maven has brought shock performance to a new level.
Her 2013 MTV Video Music Award performance outdid even Lady Gaga’s past showings of meat-covered theatrics and multiple-wigged costume changes. In a sexually charged performance, Miss Cyrus first sang her hit single “We Can’t Stop” before stripping to a flesh-colored latex bra and underwear and launching into a rendition of “Blurred Lines” with fellow singer Robin Thicke.
Reactions to her risque performance were immediate.
“Miley better get a … pregnancy test after all of that grinding,” said comedian Kevin Hart during the show, CNN reported.
A Twitter posting of a photograph of Will Smith’s family as they watched the performance from the audience spoke volumes: Mr. Smith’s children were pictured with open mouths, registering shock.
Other Twitter responses: “Just watched that Miley Cyrus / teddy bear performance and I think I’m now legally required to put myself on some kind of registry,” posted the television critic for Time magazine, James Poniewozik.
And from another viewer: “I am still trying to recover from the miley cyrus performance.”
Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski weighed in on Monday: “I think that was really, really disturbing. That young lady, who is 20, is obviously deeply troubled, deeply disturbed, clearly has confidence issues, probably eating disorder and I don’t think anybody should have put her onstage. That was disgusting and embarrassing. … That was not attractive. That was not fun. That was not funny. … The whole thing was cringeworthy, but I feel bad for her. She is a mess.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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