growing in the goo

So...I think that Vanity Fair has gone too far.

Miley's photos aren't that bad, or that provocative, but they have provocative intent. She's supposed to look naked, and she is clutching a satiny sheet to her chest. So, even though her pose could be (a lot) worse, it's still a picture of a young female who looks naked and is clutching a satin sheet to her chest.

And she's 15.

I was just about to go on a rant about how it's so ridiculous and embarrassing and disgusting that we've come to the point where society glorifies sexualizing girls as young as 15...but the truth is, it's been happening for a long time. For example: Sue Lyon, who was 14 when she starred in Lolita; and Brooke Shields, who was quite young when she was photographed in a steamy bathtub by Richard Prince (and 15 during the infamous "nothing comes between me and my Calvins" campaign).

It's just sickening. Is there really a need for these sorts of things? There are plenty of-age women who are ready and willing to bare it all, or some of it all, without having to resort to exploiting young girls who probably don't know better. Then the photographers and cinematographers have the temerity to call it "art."

Miley was quoted as saying, "...you can't say no to Annie." And it's true. Annie Leibovitz is this amazing award-winning photographer who leaves me in awe. If she told me that something looked good, I'd believe it. I'd have faith in her and her vision, even to the point of trying to ignore a little voice in my head that was telling me to hesitate. Now, at the age of 25, I'd hopefully put my foot down and raise my voice. But at the age of 15, I would not have had the guts, or the trust in my judgment, to say no.

When it comes down to it, I believe that Vanity Fair has a social responsibility to protect juveniles. Just because they're a so-called cutting-edge magazine (at least in their own minds), it doesn't mean that it's okay to bend the rules of human decency and take advantage of a youngster. Should we (as a people, a society, as a magazine, as an award-winning photographer) really push, push, push, and push until someone tells you to stop, or should we draw our own lines and show compassion and understanding for growing young minds? Don't we have a responsibility to others?