I read the news, a lot. I have worked for a lot of different newspapers across the United States, and when I worked for the government, one of my biggest jobs was to do press clippings of dozens of newspapers every week. So when I say I read a lot of news, I mean it.

I have also spent the past two years working at a high school. This means I get to have a lot of fun talking about YA books and seeing what teens think and how they are influenced. So when I read about the Miley Cyrus pictures, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more, especially because Annie Leibovitz is my favorite photographer. And I think this picture is beautiful.



Can I tell you a couple of things that I see in it that I think make it a beautiful picture? First off, you have to know that Annie Leibovitz tends to take pictures that are a parody on the kind of life the particular celebrity lives and then shows their vulnerability to that life. They also tend to push the limits of art, as does the magazine Vanity Fair for which this photo was taken.

In this photo in particular, Miley is shown exposed, with very little makeup, clutching a high-end linen to her chest. You can see the individual ridges in her spin, and her hair is brushed over one shoulder but hides the other. To me, this is a statement about what celebrity does to young women. It shows that she is still a child, half living in an adult world. She is shielding herself protectively, yet is still pale and slightly emaciated for all the world to see. It washed out, showing none of her usual vibrance and life.

Maybe this isn't so much a photo of what Miley is, but the danger of what she might become of she does not continue to protect herself--what might happen if she is left alone, secluded as she is in the photo. Yet she is still a beautiful little girl, and this picture shows that beneath the make-up and the flattering lights, she still has clear and hopeful eyes.

I think this photo isn't so much about what Miley is but really what she isn't. In twenty years, this is a photo she can be proud of. It is a picture of what she has the potential to overcome.

Don't worry, I won't often comment on current celebrity news, and honestly, I've never even seen an episode of Hanna Montana. But this story hit on an issue of art and celebrity I think is important.