Miley Cyrus Slant-Eye Photo in Bad Taste
Just when I thought my Miley Cyrus infatuation was over and done with, Miley goes and does something news-catchingly sketchy again. First the topless Miley Cyrus photos in Vanity Fair. Then Miley’s older boyfriend Justin Gaston. This time? She posed in a casual setting with friends, making a slant-eye face.
Why does a photo of Miley making a slant-eye face matter?
It matters to me because Miley Cyrus is around my teen daughter’s same age. (Miley is younger by six months, I think.) Not that my daughter looks up to Miley Cyrus, or even pays attention to her any more, but Miley is a celebrity symbol for my daughter’s generation. You’d hope they’d share some values. Plus, Miley Cyrus is a billion dollar franchise, and if she’s making windfall profits from a good girl image, the least she can do is try to be good.
Okay, but why is the slant-eye face so bad? Miley herself said it was just a silly face.
Miley Cyrus making a slant-eye face is mocking to Asians. It’s making fun of them. She might as well yell out “hey Chinaman!” every time she sees an Asian walk down the street. Mockery is a way to put someone down. What Miley Cyrus did is not nice.
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| Miley Cyrus slant-eye face picture and news article at The Daily Mail. |
But Asians tend to have slanted eyes, don’t they?
Yes, they do. And some populations (whether ethnic, religious, or social groups) tend to have bigger lips. Some tend to wear dots on their foreheads. Some tend to wrap their heads in turbans. Some tend to have short legs. Whatever.
If you latch onto the most unique thing about a certain group, like slanted eyes, then make fun of that unique thing, like making a slant-eye face – you are mocking that group. Expressing contempt or ridicule. Showing your dislike.
Where I live in Silicon Valley, there is no majority group. I think we might be the only county in the United States that can make that claim. As such, there is a whole lot of acceptance for people who are different, and a lot of tolerance for our differences.
That we’re all different makes us the same.
Compare Silicon Valley culture to where I grew up. My hometown was mostly white, with some hispanic, and much smaller concentrations of other ethnic groups. I didn’t eat Indian food until I got to graduate school. My kids, on the other hand, argue about whether we should go out for Indian, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, Persian, Mexican, Brazilian, Spanish, etc. You get the point.
Kids around here are growing up in a very ethnically diverse environment. They are being raised with more tolerance and acceptance toward other groups. My preteen son knows not to make slant-eye faces. Kids around here don’t share Miley Cyrus’s slant-eye bad taste. I already get the feeling with Obama as President that an attitude of acceptance and tolerance is spreading to the whole nation.
Miley Cyrus’s slant-eye face would not be tolerated in these parts. Someday, it won’t be tolerated anywhere.
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Comment by Lori
| February 6th, 2009
I can certainly see why some would be offended by this, BUT she’s a kid. Michael Phelp’s is still a kid. Kids do stupid things. Kids make bad judgements.
But when you’re famous, there is a camera everywhere, and everyone hears about it. Personally, I wouldn’t want to grow up in a fishbowl with everyone watching me.
I can certainly think of alot worse things these two could have done.
Yes, they are role models, but I’m sure at times like this, they wish they weren’t.
Comment by Lori
| February 6th, 2009
If the picture had been of them making pig noses, would they have been criticized for making fun of pigs?
Comment by Lance
| February 6th, 2009
It’s in bad taste, but not the worst thing in the world. I remember a basketball national team did the same thing at the Olympics and got ripped in the press, as they should have, because they were in CHINA. Since I’m half Asian, this is definitely something I’ve been exposed to.
I pretty much think Miley is an idiot.
Lance´s last blog post..More Really Barfy Dating Advice on MSN
Comment by Writer Dad
| February 6th, 2009
True that. It isn’t the biggest deal in the world, but she IS in the public eye and DOES have a responsibility to the people who prop her up, maker her shine, and pad her pockets.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..Building a Bridge
Comment by MindyMom
| February 6th, 2009
Lori has some really valid points. They are very young role models and don’t always act responsibly. It’s part of growing up only they are doing it in a fishbowl. I’m sure they both know they screwed up.
MindyMom´s last blog post..Hockey Date (or Not)
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| February 6th, 2009
I thought they were just mocking what that team did during the Olympics. Either that, or making fun of Renee Zellweger! :)
I’m with Lori. Miley is just a kid. If your kids had as much press circling them, no doubt they would be caught doing some shameful stuff. In fact, if any of us “grown ups” had press circling us, I’m sure some things we would not like seen would come to light.
Miley has not been characterized as a racist. In fact, I’m sure nothing is further from the truth.
This is waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much ado about nothing.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..It’s Cold Out There But It’s Warm In Bed
Comment by katherine.
| February 6th, 2009
I think Teri has it right….they were mocking Renee Zellweger.
it did bring Michael Phelps to mind…
katherine.´s last blog post..football ~ cross dating
Comment by dadshouse
| February 6th, 2009
Yes, Miley Cyrus is in a fishbowl. And we’re looking into that fishbowl. What’s wrong with saying it’s not okay to mock asians, or any other ethnic group? Take Miley out of the equation, and focus on the slant-eye gesture. Let her be the lightning rod for discussion.
Where I live, slant-eye gesture like that aren’t tolerated. Kids around here learn at a very early age it’s not okay. Maybe Miley Cyrus didn’t get that memo growing up, but the rest of us can. We can teach our kids different. Some kids look up to her. Tell those kids the slant-eye gesture is wrong. (Tell some adults, too.)
The pig analogy is silly. Pigs aren’t people. As for Michael Phelps – he got suspended from competition for 3 months for his pot smoking pic. But he did something that affected his own body. Miley made fun of an ethnic group. It’s different.
Comment by Kat Wilder
| February 6th, 2009
Dads, she’s still just a kid as others here point out. I’m not saying what she did was OK, but this is the culture of kids, even ones brought up in with more diversity than we did (although, honestly, where I live … you, too … we are no where near true diversity).
I think kids know what’s PC and what’s not, yet they still say things like “That’s so gay” and do things that are seemingly offensive. And if you look at the TV shows they watch (and music they listen to), there are a lot of male-female stereotypes that are very offensive to me. Still, parents are probably much more influential on a kid’s tolerance than the media is. And I’d bet many parents are not as broad-minded as we’d wish they were.
It’s another talking point for us.
Kat Wilder´s last blog post..No, you can’t be my friend on Facebook
Comment by dadshouse
| February 6th, 2009
Secty of State Hillary Clinton is going to Asia. Should she make a slant-eye face when she gets off the plane?
As for “kids will be kids” – at what point do we stop letting kids have that excuse? In my tiny corner of Silicon Valley, kids are not perfect. Believe me, my own children make mistakes and get in trouble. But mocking gestures like slant-eye faces are crushed out of existence here in pre-school. It’s not part of the culture. I also don’t let my kids say “that’s so gay”, or “retarded” (remember the Tropic Thunder protest?). It’s insensitive.
I agree with you, parents have a lot of influence on their children. So if all the parents reading this Miley Cyrus post simply shrug and say “whatever, kids are kids” – what kind of guidance are those parents giving their kids about Miley Cyrus or anyone else making a slant-eye face?
btw – Michael Phelps lost his Kellogs sponsorship today. No more cereal boxes for him.
Comment by T
| February 6th, 2009
“That we’re all different makes us the same.”
I love that line, Dads.
I really have nothing to say about Miley Cyrus. We all do intolerable things from time to time. We learn from our mistakes, no?
T´s last blog post..Worse: The offense or the hiding?
Comment by Jimmy
| February 6th, 2009
I grew in a racially torn section of Boston and I must say that Barack Obama being elected to me outweighs Miley Cyrus by just a bit.
Comment by MissB
| February 6th, 2009
lurker here. I’m half Vietnamese and I got made fun of A LOT by other kids. But these were actually kids, not teenagers. Saying she’s just a kid is exscusing her behavior. Sure, it’s not the biggest deal in the world BUT when I was 6-13 years old, it was. It hurt my feelings and I felt ashamed of who I was.
she IS a role model and a lot of her fans are younger. I think everyone messes up, but she should apologize. let her young fans know that it’s not okay to treat others that way. what doesn’t bother you may affect someone else way more then you’d think.
MissB´s last blog post..Unusual events…
Comment by krn
| February 6th, 2009
Yeah, she should apologize. She made a mistake. While it’s expected to make mistakes, especially as kids playing around, her behavior still isn’t nice or acceptable.
Comment by Kat Wilder
| February 6th, 2009
So if all the parents reading this Miley Cyrus post simply shrug and say “whatever, kids are kids” – what kind of guidance are those parents giving their kids about Miley Cyrus or anyone else making a slant-eye face?
Ah, you are assuming parents won’t say something. My point is, parents should , thus what I said, it’s another talking point for parents (hmm, I think I meant to say Teaching Moment. Duh!)
And, sure, she should apologize.
Intolerance begins at home, and when kids — and adults — mess up, it offers the opportunity to learn.
Kat Wilder´s last blog post..No, you can’t be my friend on Facebook
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| February 6th, 2009
I’d say to my kids, “Hey… How ’bout if we find something important to worry about and discuss?” … Continuing to look through the news for something newsworthy.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..It’s Cold Out There But It’s Warm In Bed
Comment by mama llama
| February 7th, 2009
Having children who are half-Japanese in ethnicity, I have no tolerance whatsoever for such ignorant behavior. That is part of the reason I find it hard to move away from a metropolitan area as well; I have lived in so many other places, even in the States, and know that they would be subject to name-calling and perhaps even prejudice by those stuck on the fact that we were bombed at Pearl Harbor…trust me, I’ve heard it here, it still exists. The idea of “move on” doesn’t exist and ignorance is bliss.
Makes me sad and angry, and I will not raise my children there.
Be well, Dads.
mama llama´s last blog post..the mirror
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| February 7th, 2009
I think it is far more damaging to teach a child to overreact to a picture than it is to dismiss the behavior being expressed in the picture.
Having no idea in what context this picture was taken, I honestly can’t judge why these kids were behaving in such a manner. It would be appropriate to tell kids, “Hmmm… what’s up with that? Why do you think they would be making those faces…?” And work the conversation from that angle. Certainly only lingering on it in order to pursue what a child might be feeling in themselves about it. But to teach them to try to evaluate whether or not Miley is doing something wrong and should apologize breeds a judgmental attitude in children, along with a feeling of superiority.
I’ve spent six years of my life in Asian countries. Three of them were very formative years in my childhood and the other three were important childbearing years in my adulthood. The Asian people are at the top of my list of the most amazing and wonderful.
It is a terrible thing when children (or adults) are made fun of because of their ethnicity. Or because of their body type. Or because of their handicaps. But we all need to teach our children to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” To see the frailty in humans and know when it has gone beyond frailty into malice. Life throws terrible things at them and we want to be there to help them learn to use those experiences to make them stronger.
The tragedy that MissB expresses, along with Mama Llama, is no small matter. I wish youngsters had an understanding of the horrors that racism have bred but they can only learn things based on what they are exposed to on their own roads. Miley lives a sheltered and rather ridiculous life. My hope is constantly that she will somehow be exposed to people who will help her develop a character that is resistant to the flow around her. An almost futile hope, but a hope nevertheless.
In the meantime, I can move in my own circles and try to make sure that I am not perpetuating the problem. Being only human myself, God knows I cannot be the one to cast the first stone.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..It’s Cold Out There But It’s Warm In Bed
Comment by dadshouse
| February 7th, 2009
Teri, very well said. Please know I’m not judging Miley. I was quite clear to say what she did in making a slant-eye face was sketchy and in bad taste (no matter the context), not that she was a bad person.
I agree that over-reacting to a picture like this sends a bad message to kids. However, you wrote this about Miley: “but they can only learn things based on what they are exposed to on their own roads. Miley lives a sheltered and rather ridiculous life.”
I agree. And I would remind people that there are a lot of kids who lead sheltered lives. That’s why Mama Llama won’t move out of a metro area, to avoid those sheltered kids who might make fun of her children. For kids who lead sheltered lives, if their only exposure to the rightness or wrongness of a slant-eye face is Miley Cyrus photos, then it’s entirely appropriate for parents to say “don’t do that. What Miley Cyrus did is mocking to asians.”
By all means, people should talk about more newsworthy things, and take pride in Obama’s presidency as a sign that America is changing. But if you see your kids making slant-eye gestures like this, rather than shrug and say “kids are kids”, tell them not to do it, then move on.
Comment by cyndi
| February 7th, 2009
I 100% agree with Lori.
Comment by Vinomom
| February 7th, 2009
Interesting post and comments…All the points that are brought up make me think about how, even if my child were somehow discovered on the street and promised to be the next big child star, there is NO WAY I would ever let that happen.
These kids are damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
I believe it is the responsibility of young stars to maintain behavior that reflects their status as a role model. But who enforces that responsibility? We can’t expect a 16 year old, necessarily, to realize that for themselves. Ultimately it is up to the parents to make their children understand.
Never in all my life growing up has making “slanty eyes” been just a silly face. It’s always been derogatory, even if it hasn’t been specifically to make anyone of asian descent feel bad, it was, quite truthfully, making fun of asians.
So, yes, Miley was wrong. And yes, she is a kid, and Michael Phelps is a kid, and all our kids have done crappy things we’re ashamed of. It’s not an excuse, it’s just reality.
Vinomom´s last blog post..Superbowl 2009
Comment by Cathouse Teri
| February 8th, 2009
Although I can’t speak for everyone here, I believe I can safely say that no one is saying that if their own child made an expression like this that they would shrug it off as “kids are kids.” I believe all of the comments were in regards toward Miley doing it, because we are not her parents and are not even remotely involved in her life, so give her a break and don’t fuss over every little things she does. On the other hand, a racial slur can occur by a big star and while not going unnoticed, doesn’t create even a ripple in their success. I’ll bet most of us have seen at least one Mel Gibson pic since his offense! But I ain’t going to dinner with him! :)
At any rate, of course if our child makes a rude face, we are to correct them. Good Lord, I didn’t even allow my children to roll their eyes at me! When I grew up, my mother told me that if I ever said the word “nigger,” she would slap me in the face. This, from a mother who never even gave me a spanking! So, I took it very seriously. (Even just now, I thought a hand from somewhere would come out and smack me just for typing it. And I think everyone should feel that way about demeaning others for any reason.)
But I do think Miley is a very nice person who is struggling to be a kid in a world where she is given far too much privilege. It’s an age old story. And I am prepared to give her as many breaks as I need to so that I am not part of the force that constantly scrutinizes her.
Cathouse Teri´s last blog post..It’s Cold Out There But It’s Warm In Bed
Comment by Mary
| February 8th, 2009
My friends and I used to do that as young teens and it had NOTHING to do with Asians. We didn’t always pull our eyes like that(sometimes are ears- were we making fun of elephants?) but sometimes we did, and sometimes we puffed out our lips and we were not targetting black americans either.
It was “silly faces” and the Asian and Black kids in my school made them as well. I don’t see the big deal and I think we have HUGE problems in this country and we shrug them off and become concerned with nonsensical things instead.
Mary´s last blog post..I cursed the mountain before I climbed it
Comment by Pearl
| February 15th, 2009
What a coincidence, i also live in silicon valley! I’m a mix between french, english, portuguese, and chinese. XD I grew up in Virginia, but i moved here when i was in 5th grade. Silicon valley really is one of the most culturally diverse places in the world.
I 100% agree with you. I grew up learning not to make those kinds of faces. The white kids at my school know that too. To Mary: We dont bash people who make ‘poofy’ lips because everyone wants them (ie angelina jolie). you can’t call that making fun of black people when americans have created a multi-billion dollar industry (plastic surgery) to get full lips and big boobs.
but i do agree that there are more important things than miley’s personal life.
Comment by bone_juvi
| October 28th, 2009
Hey, if she wants to be a slut, so what, it’s her body to do what she wants to with. And any guy lucky enough to be in a room with her, (even daddy)