It’s no secret that Miley Cyrus has become the talk of the town this year. From her broken-off engagement to Liam Hemsworth to her new hair-do and raunchy music videos and performances, Miley has become more popular than ever! While her infamous performance at the VMAs on August 25th broke a lot of hearts and her new song, “23” did not leave Michael Jordan too pleased, Miley has for sure shown that she is all grown up and not to be confused with good-girl child star, Hannah Montana. While Miley may be forced to face some snickers for her new image, her ratchet act has proven that there is no such thing as bad press. The world just can’t seem to take their eyes off of her. We just Can’t Stop! (no pun intended).
Type Miley Cyrus into the Google search bar and you’ll find yourself with 103,000,000 results. Exactly why is this? According to Opposing Views, a website that focuses on debating today’s hottest social issues, the pop-princess turned hip-hop artist is a “public relations genius.” Whether it’s because she’s constantly sticking her tongue out to the audience, singing about drugs, or swinging naked on top of a wrecking ball, she’s becoming more famous than ever. While Miley’s new bad-girl rep is getting a lot of criticism, her new behavior has the surprising ability to teach us a few valuable lessons that could actually help us get ahead.
1. Set Yourself Apart
In life, you’ll find that you need to take some risks once in a while in order to find success. Taking risks is healthy and often necessary. While they may not need to be as drastic as the ones Miley is currently taking in order to keep herself in the Hollywood spotlight, doing little things like joining a new club at school, taking a class in one of your weaker subjects, or applying for that dream internship you never thought you’d be able to score, all these can count! Part of becoming successful is sharpening your weaker skills. If you’re not a very good public speaker, take a public speaking class at your college or university! Get out of your comfort zone a little bit and spend some time strengthening your weaknesses in order to become more well-rounded.
2. Ignore the Haters
There are always going to be those who don’t approve of your new attitude, business tactics, or the path you choose to take in life in general, but don’t let it get you down. Believing in yourself can get you very far! Whenever someone knocks you down with their unkind words, be sure to get right back up on your feet like Miley. While she’s been forced to face a lot of criticism lately, she doesn’t seem to let it get to her. Focus on what will help you become a better person as well as a better professional, and ignore all the haters.
3. Know Your Audience
Miley’s good-girl image began to crumble after her VMA performance back in August and people started to view her in a more negative light, though she still seemed to receive wide support from her fans. While Miley’s Hannah [Montana] fans took notice of the change in her music and appearance, many of these fans were also going through a different stage in their lives as well. Many of us who have grown up watching Hannah Montana have entered college, a place where young adults go through changes, trying to figure out who we are as individuals. While the changes we may be going through may come on a much smaller scale than Miley’s, many of us collegiettes™ can relate to her, in a way.
While its intent is to educate you and help you acquire the necessary skills for a successful future, college also gives young adults the opportunity to meet others of the same age who have similar ambitions. Part of the American college culture includes partying, where students have the opportunity to come in contact with people they normally would not have otherwise been able to meet. The songs on Miley’s newest album, Bangerz, in a way, relate to this college culture that so many of us are currently experiencing.
Just like Miley, who knows how to switch up her music and appearance in order to appeal to her changing fans, we need to be aware of our image in everything that we do. Whether you’re on a job interview, asking for a grad school recommendation from a professor, or uploading not-so-appropriate photos to Facebook, you need to be mindful of how you are presenting yourself and you need to think about if the image you are projecting is the image that you hope to give off to your particular audience. While celebrities like Miley Cyrus can make big money and fame off of degrading performances and wearing scandalous outfits, the rest of us would be punished for such behaviors, especially when looking for employment.
While some say that Miley may be headed in a downward spiral alongside Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes, I think that Miley can definitely teach us a thing or two about success and how to achieve it.