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| Page last updated: June 6, 2009 |
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The Psychology of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana music
and pop-music for girls
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Photo: Mike Schmid, Hollywood, CA.
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Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, is a musical phenomena largely for pre-teen girls, but also for some boys, that is somewhat unprecedented in pop-history. In the past, idols and icons such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, dominated the preoccupations of millions of teens and young adults, in the case of Elvis, for adults as well, and for aging Beatles fans, John Lennon continues to be a symbol of both musical liberation and spiritual transcendence.
While the pop pre-teen world has had its share of teen-idols, Hannah Montana has swiftly become a powerful icon that has captured the hearts of millions of children in every corner of the globe. From a Newark, NJ sold-out concert, to a Luanda Angolan seven-year-old with a blond Hannah Montana wig and microphone draping over her jet black skin, Hannah Montana is a powerful icon in terms of pop-history, really, the most powerful icon ever for pre-teens.
The Hannah Montana show, Disney, for children, is among the most watched children's television programs in the world. Rival Nicolodeon came up with their counterpart, iCarly, which, while not reaching the iconic colossus of HM, has also become one of the most watched shows for pre-teens on today's television, at times reaching a wider audience than the HM show.
Part of the appeal of these type of programs for children is the shear absence of parents. iCarly functions pretty much independently of parents, even inviting boys over to sleep, ostensibly in different beds, without any parental involvement or consent. This "children's liberation movement," on television, has always had wonderful appeal to all of us as children, and the concept has been exploited since the 1930s with movies and enduring television programs such as Our Gang, and later, the Little Rascals, children with adult characteristics who also pretty much did their own thing, and were both victims at times of adult manipulation, but also, pretty much ran their own little children's world. Adults in Our Gang were often the villains.
This was a little different than the Wizard of Oz where the protagonists were adults, albeit childish adults, or at least older teens, and where the leading authority figure, in this case, the Wizard himself, was also an adult.
Children, Children's Television, Kissing and Sexuality
Of course, the Little Rascals also had a bit of children's romance and sex, with Alfalfa's constant attempts to win the heart of his would be lover, and his erect pointy hair phallic when he got a response. iCarly and Hanna Montana follow sexual suit, with programs dedicated to "The First Kiss," with a climactic, lingering, experimental first kiss from the show's main character (iCarly). Disney, of course, has never been shy of selling the idea of romantic kisses to children with it's princess fantasies (there are currently 8 Disney princesses, can you name them all?)
Kissing, when we were children 35 years ago, wasn't a subject that was generally broached in children's programming, at least the physical demonstration of it between children, in the way it is being demonstrated today by Disney and Nicolodeon, the two major stations, the third major station for children being Cartoon Network, all on cable and satellite.
In fifth grade classrooms with 11 year old boys and girls, it was a puzzle how the young girls in these classes who seemed to come from good families, not yet reaching the age of puberty, were talking about boyfriends, and in the same school, a significant proportion of pre-teen girls kissing with boys and "making out" during recess and after school.
One can see how children's televison does influence the behavioral patterns of children, and how the sexuality of children is being awakened at a much younger age today, than was the case 30-35 years ago. Music and music videos are at the forefront with Britney Spears, Kate Perry, Rihanna, Beyonce, as well as Bratz dolls, which introduce teens and pre-teens to a sexuality at ever younger ages.
Disney kissing with children is bathed in a veneer of innocence, as it always has been, but the emotional turmoil that comes with the awakening of sexuality before one is emotionally prepared, is something that some of us have also experienced. That isn't a part of the programs which are encouraging children to experiment sexually at ever younger ages. Sexual activity without emotional commitment can be both confusing and emotionally hurtful. So Disney and Nicolodeon are using sex with popular stars to "hook" children on their programs, for higher ratings, and really, in an irresponsible way.
The psychology of children, then, is involved with media sexuality that is directed towards them. Parents who offer television to their chidren, need to direct children wisely, to explain to their children how TV programs differ from reality and to encourage children to have wider interests in diverse fields of life and nature. Children can be encouraged to develop an interest in nature programs. The Science Channel has a continuous stream of interesting topics for children which are on a child's level and which are both entertaining and informative. Children are as facinated with that type of programming as they are with iCarly, if they are gently directed in the proper way.
See Sharna Olfman's
The Sexualizing of Childhood and Diane Levin's So Sexy So Soon
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Children imitate what they see. Children experiment and can be aroused sexually.
Sexual activity at too young an age can lead to emotional confusion for children.
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Deep Emotions and Sexuality in Children's Music
The music of Hannah Montana has a deep impact on both the emotions' of young children and the general tempo of the generation's psyche. The comments of New York child psychiatrist
Peter Neubeaur have application to Miley Cyrus music, in that it is often the children with poor secure attachments who are most impacted by the emotions of this music and iconic stature of Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana.
The Hannah Montana show similarly carries such themes, in a way, even more powerfully than the iCarly show.
Disney's Hannah Montana kiss-episodes video
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off-site link
Hannah Montana show kissing episodes.
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Lacking secure attachments in the form of participating or functional parents, the emotional void and most spare moments of downtime are often filled by the deep emotions of music, which has a lot of heart, a lot of emotion, and a lot of deep emotion. Miley Cyrus has an ever so slight sexual appeal, in a sexual-innocent way. Her adolescent sexual bloom is capitalized on in her highly marketed icon. Her sometimes rebellion-against-authority theme, also hits a chord with children who might feel oppression from adults at home or in school.
Her music is not necessarily sexual, her stage presence, can have a little bit of a sexual charge, and so her appeal to young girls (and boys) is multi-faceted.
The Climb has become today's "children's national anthem" and carries deep emotions that invoke the idea of a "powerful struggle against all odds". It can be considered an inspiring song. Some of HM/Miley Cyrus music might be dubbed "children's empowerment songs". So, it is no wonder children are so attracted to Miley Cyrus/Hanna Montana.
Of course, 11-year-old boys also are enthralled with the sexuality of the situation, relating (in school) their Internet excursions into the "dirty pictures" of HM, (not really sure if these pictures are real or Photoshop produced, in any case, some pre-teen boys have come to associate HM with an intro to porn). Boys and girls talk about pictures of HM kissing pop-star Kate Perry, (I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It, Perry's most well known hit pop-song), in Internet photos, and for them, whether the pictures are real or fabricated, it is basically the same in children's eyes, and some children hang on every quotable word of HM.
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Photo: Jeff Christensen, AP.
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This is similar to the path of High School Musical which is the Disney popular program, with scandals here and there of pornographic excursions by the show's young stars. Children, of course, in researching their favorite celebrities both are exposed to these pornographic pictures on the Internet, and talk about it with both curiosity and hurt/confused feelings, how could their favorite, seemingly pure in heart TV friends do such a thing? The TV and music world is very real to them, it is more than music, it is role models, friends, and most children have a difficult time separating fantasy and reality even up until the age of 9 and 10. The Internet also exposes children to music videos from pop-stars whose music is catchy, but whose music videos are more sexual than a live Cosmopolitan magazine or beyond.
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Photo: Mike Schmid, Hollywood, CA.
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The deep emotions of Miley Cyrus music is something that parents need to be aware of. Music is a powerful emotional influence. So, children with any type of family background, need to be balanced in their musical interest especially as it relates to the pop-world. Too much time with pop-music, might affect the emotions of some pre-teens especially. The emotional impact of pop stars that children might listen to such as Gloria Stafani and even most Avril Lavign songs, are not as powerful as those of Miley Cyrus.
So while there is as certain amount of childish innocence to Miley Cyrus, there are also undercurrents of deep emotion and iconic attachment that can have a profound impact on the emotions and psychological profile, the "molding" of the personalities of individual children and even on the generation of children who are deeply involved in music from an early age.
One more note on The Climb and its emotional profile. The Climb is a song of hope and inspiration. It is a powerful and beautiful song. It is inspiring. It has quickly become a radio sensation and a deep attachment to children. The emotions of The Climb have a touch of Broadway Romeo and Juliet, East Side Story idealism, with just a touch of desperation, similar to the uncertainty of the outcome in the characters of a movie such as Ordinary People. Is she really going to make it to the top, we truly believe she will, with just that tinge of doubt that she might not make it at all, or some tragic end that lurks in the background, at the bottom of the mountain as it were. In other words it a struggle to rise above a possible impending tragedy with a sustained act of will, with just the slightest possibility of serious, desperate failure. The emotions of The Climb are more powerful than a Broadway play, iconic and heroic along the lines of Superman.
So, with The Climb, Hanna Montana/Miley Cyrus, becomes almost a symbol of hope, an icon of salvation, in the same way Superman was for a more innocent generation of past decades, than today's generation of boys who are sometimes more inclined to the more evilly-tinged icons of X-Men, Pro-Wrestlers, Hell-Boy, YuGiHo and the like.
In this case, Miley Cyrus is a symbol of idealic hope to millions of young girls. For girls whose existence might be marred by family strife or abuse, Miley Cyrus becomes more than a song or TV show, she becomes an icon or symbol of everything their life is not, a fantasy of something higher, a goal that they might fantasize to attain, to be somebody special.
Take away the psychological profile, some Miley Cyrus music is just very nice. So children will gravitate towards it.
Parents, Children, Balance with Music
Parents, then, need to help their children keep a balance with music, and psychologists and educators can be aware that music does effect the psychological makeup of girls who might be struggling with their moods and emotions. A 24-7 iPod and open Internet in the home can open the door for social isolation, which can result in a child's inability to develop coping skills to deal with reality, especially if that reality might be on the harsher side. We should be aware that when children come home from school, they often spend 1-5 hours with music, both on iPods, as well as on television music stations which include both music and powerful videos. This definitly has a role in shaping the values of a generation.
Parents and caregivers (as well as educators, which many commendably do) should be alert to provide opportunities for children to enjoy outings to parks, zoos, museums, places of historical interest, aquariums, and music teachers should try to help children to develop a more well-rounded interest in different types of music than the pop, hip-hop and rap world which dominates today's youth/child culture.
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Nicolodeon's iCarly First Kiss episode video clip
