While the title may not be exactly what Tarzan was quoted as saying in Disney’s “Tarzan”, it certainly seems to speak to the interesting choice of substances that former Disney star Miley Cyrus has been flaunting in front of her fans as of late. At the MTV European Music Awards ceremony Cyrus was seen lighting a joint while accepting her award for best video, and continued smoking throughout the evening to the annoyance of those surrounding her. The clip of Cyrus actually smoking the joint has been edited out for both the American and British viewers – the ceremony took place in Amsterdam where weed is not in fact ‘legal’ but tolerated in small quantities. Cyrus has also know for her use of Molly (a form of Ecstasy), as well as Salvia.
When it comes to shocking her fans, there are few things Miley Cyrus hasn’t tried.
But the shock-pop princess took things to a whole new level on Sunday night when she lit up a suspicious-looking cigarette ONSTAGE at the EMA awards at Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome.
It’s not as though celebrities are newcomers to the drug scene, but there is a sharp contrast between a grown up movie star with grown up fans and the type of fans and followers of Miley Cyrus and other teen idols. I may come across as a bit of a hard ass, but Cyrus and those like her should keep their substance use to themselves, especially since the demographic she appeals to is very young and even more impressionable.
I don’t think celebrities ‘owe’ their fans anything. Most of them are adults and can smoke and drink to their hearts desire, and Miley Cyrus is no different, she’s twenty years old and is probably going through some sort of ‘experimental’ phase in her life like many young people do. But she needs to be reminded that when she openly praises drugs like MDMA and Marijuana her message’s primary recipients are young teenagers, some of whom borderline worship the ground she walks on. To her credit, Cyrus did come out against one of the more popular celebrity drugs, Cocaine, by saying: “I really don’t like coke. It’s so gross and so dark. It’s like, what are you, from the ’90s? Ew.”
I think it was a good idea to edit out the actual smoking of the weed on stage at the MTV awards in America, but it was probably a lost cause as I’m sure plenty of teens rushed to their computers, tablets and cell phones to watch Cyrus light up on YouTube.
What do you think of Miley Cyrus’ public use of drugs?