Jun 7
Win $100 Worth of Stuff in My Miley Mania Mash Challenge
Posted By Dannah Gresh
THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! CONGRATULATIONS TO SHANNON!
Here’s the crowd at a recent Miley Cyrus concert.
Looks to me like the average age of a Miley Cyrus fan is still ten. Here’s what that crowd saw on stage.
And that’s a mild photo. Most of what Miley is doing on stage right now, including simulated lesbian kisses and deviant sexual simulations, won’t show up in the photos on this blog since we get little visitors. (To see more, you can subscribe to my monthly eblasts here. I’ll keep you up-to-date on any cultural issues that face you and your daughter!) There is no doubt that the behavior of Miley is going to infect her fans. A lot of attention has been brought to my recent Open Letter To Billy Ray & Tish Cyrus. Many mediums such as the Baptist Free Press, American Family Association and Chris Fabry Live have jumped on the band wagon to have an intelligent dialogue about how Miley’s behavior may infect our little girls. I’d like to suggest that the word-of-mouth of a couple of hundred moms is more powerful than any single media outlet, so I’d like you to put on the hat of discerning reporter, if you don’t mind, and help me out. Inspired by one mom and daughter who called in on Chris Fabry Live, I want to issue a Miley Mania Mash Challenge. Ten-year-old Ariel, after seeing Miley’s recent Can’t Be Tamed video, came home and told her mom that she was sad. Ariel decided to stop watching Hannah Montana and asked her mom to please help her gather up her Miley fan gear and throw it away. I was so proud of that little girl that I sent her an entire set of Secret Keeper Girl stuff to fill the gap. I want to give away another set of free stuff to a mother/daughter pair who are willing to do the same. Here’s how you can be our randomly selected winner.
- Read my Open Letter To Billy Ray & Tish Cyrus. Share it on your facebook page or link to it in your blog. Remember to keep it kind and hopeful that Miley will turn around. Let’s not bash her, but I think at this point it is OK to boycott her.
- Talk to your daughter about her Miley Mania, if she’s a fan. Consider unplugging and throwing away fan gear. If you aren’t a fan, have another talk about why you aren’t and help your daughter to think through this for the discussions that might come up with friends who are. If you need some help talking, check out the two blogs that I wrote to help you out.
- Leave a comment here telling me where you linked the letter so we can check it out, and what you and your daughter decided about your family’s point of action.
A winner for our entire Secret Keeper Girl line-up including two mother/daughter date kits, four fiction books, a Bible study and a t-shirt will be randomly selected on June 17th. Check back to see who our winner is.
75 Comments so far
Give us your thoughts
I posted the letter on my FB page. I am a SKG fan on FB and I commented there for the give away.
My daughter is only 5 but, I am learning and preparing myself for the years ahead with her.
Thanks for what you are doing!!
Be sure to include your thoughts on what you and your daughter decide to do as a point of action about all of this. We want you to leave your specific points of action as ideas for other moms who stop in!
I am so sad over Miley. Wish she would rethink her desicions.
My daughters are very vocal about Miley. They understand that she plays a character on tv that is separate from who she is in real life. I have always told my kids they can respect celebrities for their talent but don’t use them as role models because they can disappoint you and break your heart. We are going to continue teaching them that celebrities are people who make mistakes and we hope they do the right thing but they are not to be role models.
btw I posted it on by facebook page
As a mother of two daughters ages 5 and 9 and a son age 7, I find it a daily struggle to find television viewing that is acceptable. We are a very musical family and therefore were willing to overlook some of the little annoyances of Hannah Montana in order to give our daughters a chance to see what a wholesome pop star can do in the world. With her most recent decisions we have decided to ban all Miley Cyrus movies, tv, and songs from our home. We have sat the children down and explained our decision to them and they surprised us by not pitching a fit about it. We have instead researched and found some young Christian groups for them to listen to, i.e. Pure NRG. We also spend more time reading books than watching tv since books are much easier to control anyway. It is unfortunate that we seem to be lacking secular pop stars to look up to but I am not willing to expose them to the garbage that is out there. I posted the open letter to the Cyrus’ on my facebook page and have received overwhelming support and agreement from my friends. If we all are vocal about what we won’t stand for then maybe someone in Hollywood will listen. If not, I am okay with ‘missing out’ on movies and music that are detrimental to our spiritual health.
Thanks SO much for taking a stand on this issue. I have 2 daughters (11 & 6) and they have been distant Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana fans. (Seen a little bit on TV, heard some of her songs, heard about her from church and other groups of friends…but they were never allowed to become the “biggest fans.” We’ve often talked about celebrities/artists and how it’s ok to like someone (like their music, style, etc) but it’s NOT okay to replace them with their relationship or admiration of Christ. HE must be our everything!
Over time, they’ve gotten a few things (posters, t-shirts, purses, etc) but then I’ve helped them see how she’s (very sadly) progressing as an artist and how it’s not Godly at all. (I have taught them to go with the thought that if it’s not helping them to love others, or in some way learn something to be a better person…even if it’s not all about Jesus, they can still learn a positive message….then lets throw it out, turn the channel, etc.)We’ve recently cleared out all of our stuff and thrown it ALL away! We don’t feel comfortable even letting her have a chance to evade in any other girls life. I’m SO proud of my girls for taking a stand and not being ugly about it, but just realizing that sometimes we must get rid of some things in life in order to move on!
Matter of fact, after our recent attendance at your show here in the Nashville area, my 11 year old and I had some GREAT detailed conversations about fashion and got rid of a BUNCH of clothing that was inappropriate for her age. (not that anything was as bad as some her age, but she just was convicted about wearing some things….so THANK YOU for speaking the truth in a very loving manner! It’s hard being a mom these days, but it’s encouraging to know that we can reach out to you for help and support!! (and have LOTS of great memories to always share together!!)
I also posted your previous link to my friends on Facebook and emailed others who need to see this so that they can know the truth as well! Most of my friends were encouraged that you spoke the truth in such love and hope. I will be posting this one as well…this just makes me sick at my stomach!
THANKS AGAIN for ALL you do to help me protect my sweet girls! God has great plans for our lives and I’m so thankful I know you are there to help guide and support. God bless you always!!
p.s. I’m an actress as well (just really getting started) and I hope to be one that (especially) girls/women all around the world one day will be able to watch and be encouraged/inspired by how I live my life…on and off screen.
I have now posted the Open Letter to Billy Ray and Tish to my facebook two times. My husband is the youth and children’s pastor at our church and we have 5 children, including 3 beautiful girls ages 10, 6 and 5. I have a heart to teach young ladies how to go after God and against the culture and be true daughters of the king. I’m often warning the girls in our youth group and my own daughters of the dangers of “letting too much of the world” in to your lives and teaching them that they will only find real joy, peace and satisfaction in living in obedience to Jesus. I’m appalled at what Miley has turned into and after seeing your original posting after her recent video came out I’ve talked with my 10 year old about it. She understands that Miley is making some bad choices now and we’ve even talked about how Miley’s parents aren’t protecting her and connected that to why we have some of the boundaries we have in our home with how we dress, talk, what we watch, etc. I love the song that recently came out by Tal and Acacia called “Garbage In Garbage Out”. I’ve been able to use that song to connect it to the recent choices that Miley is making to my 10 year old. She was never a die hard Hannah Montana fan but did enjoy watching the show on Disney and the movie also. She understands that we have to guard our hearts but she has had some difficulty in still wanting to watch Hannah Montana, saying that it’s still a cute show and that was before, etc. But she’s making the hard choice to shut it off and wanting to “stay away from any appearances of evil” or anything that might cause her heart to be compromised.
I’m currently working on how to start a younger girls group in my church for “tweens” because it’s not just a teenage issue as you know. Purity, obedience to God and wanting to please Jesus above anything else are Godly characterists that need to be instilled in young girls at a very young age.
I so appreciate your message to girls and for you taking a stand for the right way! I so want to bring my daughter and her friends to an event if one is close to the Quincy, IL area. God bless everything you set your hand to do!!! THANK YOU!!!
My girl is ten and we avoided Hannah Montana because she is a “teenager” and not part of the life I wanted my girl to emulate. Sadly Miley has “grown up” in a way I never want any girls to follow, especially my girl. We loved the SKG show in Jackson, TN and the positive image and encouragement SKG provides for our girls and Moms. Thanks and keep it up!
My husband and I have have two young girls and a young man. As parents we pray for a children daily and hope that we are raising our children in the ways of the Lord. With that being said we are not perfect parents, we are far from it. We are sinners saved by grace and we know that we we can only teach our children by following Gods word. We also know that because we are sinners we are going to fall and we are going to repent and ask God to show us His way,and we are not going to want to follow the worlds way but Gods way.
So why are we so shocked when those that are of the world want to follow the ways of the world? I know that the Cyrus family have “claimed” to be Christians, but the bible clearly says that we will know them by their fruits. Is anyone sicken that the name of our Lord and Savior is being drag through the mud by this family? They are claiming to know Our Christ and then they put this girl in a video like this one? My heart goes out to this family! I pray Miley repents of her sins and puts her faith and trust in the only One who can save her, that’s what we should be praying for. For true repentance of her and her family. My precious Jesus saved this sinner 8 years ago,and he can turn any heart around, and produce good fruit!
I truly care for Milye and her family and I will pray for their salvation, nothing is more important. Until then, we will keep seeing videos and concerts like we have been seeing.
Thank you so much for all you do. We have a 10 yo dd who is very disappointed in the path Miley has taken. She doesn’t have a lot of “Hannah Montana” things, but the things that she does have she has chosen to “put away” and pray for Miley. As a mom (who has grown up making all the wrong choices as a teenager and young adult) it makes my heart warm to see our younger generation to have the faith to walk with our Lord and makes those important choices to not “follow” an idol.
I found your SKG website not too long ago and love the foundation. We recently moved to a small town in Alaska and am eager to start a group to teach these sweet daughters that you can dress modestly and CUTE at the same time! I am so proud of young ladies who dress in a way that makes our Lord smile upon them!
Thank you for all you do! Keep up the good work!
In His Love,
Tina in Alaska
Thank you for being a visible Christian voice for the girls in our world! I spoke with my husband about what Miley was doing and my daughter spoke up asking what she was doing. She looked up to Miley until now. Even she admitted she could see a difference in her actions as she shifted from the Hannah Montana role. She has taken down all the Miley/Hannah Montana stuff in her room. She questioned the money spent on it but I told her it was okay…it’s either we stand for Jesus or we don’t (as we’ve been reading 1 John together)and the money spent is a lesson learned to us all. She has been praying for Miley! We watched a video on youtube with Miley and a friend and talked about the road that both she and her friends were walking down was not one Christ would want for my daughter. We listen to the music lyrics together and stop the music to talk about exactly what is being said and if it’s glorifying to the Lord or not…if not then it’s not something we want constantly input in our brains.
There is a constant reminder that we are not of this world and it’s not our home! It breaks my heart to see how young girls buy into the culture of the world and get eaten up and spit out! We are praying for Miley and her family. They are in the fire and getting burned. God is able to make beauty from ashes when we turn to him and give our lives to him for His glory!
As parents we have tough decisions to make conscious decisions that lead our children to Christ. If we take a backseat for a moment in our culture we are letting someone else lead and that’s a sacrifice our family is not willing to make! Thank you for strengthening Mothers and Daughters through the work of Secret Keeper Girl!!! Blessings!
Our family has been very skeptical about the whole Miley craze, but had allowed our girls to watch the Hannah Montana movie a few months back. We talked then and decided we did not want to pursue an interest in her or her career. Thanks for sounding the warning.
I posted the letter on my facebook previously, but just posted it again because I feel that it is a very important issue.
I feel so fortunate that we do not have cable or satellite television in our home, so my 7 year old daughter has not been exposed to Miley. Little girls are so easily influenced. Instead we choose to rent movies (that have been pre-approved by Mom and Dad)to watch together as a family. We really like the American Girl dolls, books and movies. They provide a positive message and we find them very entertaining.
My facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/#!/angie.sheeley
We haven’t allowed Miley in our house for YEARS! My daughter is now nine, and even at a young age (3?) we could see the negative effect shows like Hannah Montana and others on Disney and Nick were having on her. At this point, my daughter is actually repulsed at the idea of watching or wearing anything that has to do with Hannah/Miley (which, in all honesty, thrills me!).
I’ve posted a link to your blog on my facebook (www.facebook.com/maryhenaghan), but I doubt you can see it as I’ve got uber security controls enlisted.
Although we have not talked recently about the Miley craze, we have discussed the need (for her) to remain modest in her clothing choices and continue to act in a godly manner. While recently watching So You Think You Can Dance auditions, we had to turn it off and explain to her why. The dance moves and revealing clothing are just not the things we want in our house, because it takes the focus off of what God desires us to be (especially as young, godly girls).
Thanks for all you do and your insightful blog posts!
I posted this on my facebook page.
Thank you so much for your stand on this issue. We support you 100%!
We also very much appreciate your ministry. May you be blessed for blessing us!
Im as concerned as you about the way celebrities are going in society and the effect it is having on our young people but i wonder if what you are doing is biblical.It seems almost a bribe to be saying to people to put the letter on their facebook (in otherwords spread the word) and then they could win a prize.
No doubt that your intentions are good,but it seem this is more ‘doing things by your own power’ rather then through God/bibical.
My daughter has not been a fan of Miley but family that don’t have a clue what my daughter likes have given her
Hannah Montanna stuff because when they asked at the store what was popular for girls her age that is what they recommended. My daughter wanting to be thankful has
been using the items but she decided she didn’t want anything to encourage other girls to like Miley so she wants to get rid of all those items. We will be heading out tomorrow for a new calendar and watch. I hope the stores won’t encourage people to but products promoting Miley. We will be sure to tell our family no
Miley stuff.
Well, after your last email including the link to the ‘Tamed’ video, I watched it on my own. Absolutely disgraceful. I wonder how her parents can sit there and watch. My stomach was absolutely churning. At her age, it’s natural to become rebellious to a point, but I’m afraid at some point in her life she will come back around and ask her parents why they didn’t stop her beforehand. I showed the video to my daughter (12 1/2) and she was absolutely shocked. All she could utter was ‘that was just wrong in SO many ways!’ I agreed. Saddening, sickening at the same time. So, though my daughter occasionally watched the show (along with other Disney shows) we don’t really own a lot of ‘Hannah Montana’ paraphenalia. The one thing she had, a book, she was ready to pitch in the trash. She did hold off though so that she could do a book swap at her school. She came home with Ella Enchanted…MUCH BETTER!! It’s very unfortunate that actors our children grow up watching turn into gremlins sometimes, but it also serves as a constant reminder that no one is righteous (no not one!) Save the Father. I will post your letter as well as the link to the Britain’s Got Talent video so the other mom’s I’m in contact with will know on my facebook page (we’re friend’s so you can check :o) I have to say though that I had a small idea that things were going this way when her clothing line came out and the ‘Party in the USA’ video kind of concerned me. Then the choice awards stunt threw me as well…now all this. Yep, that’s the end of Miley Cyrus in my household.
i linked it on facebook and agree completely with the letter. my daughter loved miley but we are not happy with the direction her life is going and refuse to support her anymore. sorry miley but my daughter is more important and i am responsible to God for what she watches and hears.
I posted it on my FB page. I have 2 daughters, ages 9 and 6. We have discussed Miley several times, even before her latest video. We don’t get the Disney Channel, so it’s never been an option here. We are more conservative in our dress, so we did not encourage our daughters to see Miley as a role model. I’ve discussed with them the wisdom of living one way by day and another way by night, and the problems that Miley had in the show because of that. We emphasized that truthfulness in all things is much better. We encourage them to find real young women at church who are living Godly lives - in reality - and to watch them. We also teach them that no one is a perfect example, that all people make mistakes, including their mom and dad, and that the only perfect example of anything is Jesus.
Thank you for Secret Keeper - another tool in our arsenal for purity!
I posted your link on my facebook page. I talked with my daughter who is 8 years old. She was very sad at what Miley has decided with her life. We prayed for her to see God’s will in her life and to obey His calling for her. It would be so great to see her saved and be a testimony to all these futures that could be impacted for the kingdom of God! My daughter has decided to put her Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus items away and not want them until she can sell her things at a Christian book store. She was very concerned with her choices but has decided that if we all pray for God to show her what He has planned then it will be better for everyone, not just her. She understood that a lot of people, not just tween girls, but there are some boys who seemed to follow her that will be greatly impacted by her decisions.
Thank you once again for being there to help us and support us in raising our children God wants!
I linked the letter to my FB page as soon as I read it. That was May 15. Here is the link. http://www.facebook.com/#!/marji.winters
You will have to scroll down to May 15th posts. Thankfully I stopped any high status of Miley Cyrus long ago when my daughter was just 7 or 8. I always told her that I felt wearing t Shirts that have her face and thinking so highly of her was like worshiping her and we are to worship God only. So now that she is falling away from the model we thought she once was it is not hard for my daughter to walk away. We have discussed and I let her see the things Miley was doing and we have decided to not watch her Disney show anymore and to pray for her and her family. It is very sad. We love what you do here!!!
I’m very disappointed and completely shocked that Miley’s mother actually sits in on these “acts” and approves. My 9 year old daughter will never watch or support Miley in any form or fashion. Although Miley is at the age of accountability, ultimately her parents are to blame. As Christians we are called to hold each other accountable. However, there must be fruit. No fruit = non-Christian. Period.
I am heartbroken and physically ill over Miley’s behavior, but I am not surprised.
Purity and modesty are important issues that we talk about, daily in our home. I am thrilled to hear that other little girls are making the choice to remain pure in their hearts, souls and for their lives.
I’ve linked to your blog and your open letter on the Christian Moms Forum in the “Kitchen” forum.
http://www.christianmomsforum.com/showthread.php?p=942306#post942306
While I wholeheartedly do NOT agree with what Miley Cyrus is currently doing, I do not see the need to remove all previously purchased Hannah Montana items from my home.
My daughter is currently outgrowing HM at this point and due to some of the teen language we had already limited her viewing of the show. We will speak to her about the “new” Miley and why we feel it is not appropriate viewing/listening material any longer.
I thank you very much Dannah for bringing this information to our attention as well as being such an advocate for our young girls. Thank you.
I too am glad Miley has been kept as a distant fan for our daughter. Since my daughter has already made some great “stand up for the right thing” decisions this year, this discussion has not been hard. She agrees Miley’s behavior is not to be admired. She is sad & has started praying for her to make more Godly choices. I remember my own days of trying to figure out who I am apart from what others have imposed on me. I remember how thankful I was when I found out years later people were praying for me. Miley is a beautiful young woman of God’s needs wrapped in our prayers and His love now more than ever.
I posted it on fb. My daughter just recently started watching Hannah Montana and it will no longer be shown in our home. Thankfully she doesn’t have a lot of stuff from her, but what we have will be thrown out and nothing will be bought in the future. It’s so sad that someone feels they have to become sexually provocative to make it in the music industry.
Miley should make good desicion and i think that was a bad one
I am blessed to teach 5th and 6th grade girls Sunday School. I have been quite unsuccessful in locating Bible bases reading material for the girls for the summer, for our God’s Girls Christian book club, at the libraries ( it is not feasible to expect the girls to pay for each of your books at this time). I came across your website and realized that God’s girls are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image and that they must be taught to present their bodies as a Holy and living sacrifice at all times. What a teachable moment in looking at the likes of Miley and others who are in need of prayer and Christian direction.
Wow, this just gets worse with every picture I see. Thank you for sharing this information with us. My daughters actually heard about her antics before I did, and I can’t say that they were at all happy. Her posters have been removed; Hannah clothing has been purged from their drawers, and the show is being removed from the DVR schedule. This saddens me beyond words, as I have always been so proud of Miley/Hannah and her clothing/behavior choices. She is one of the very few that I have long encouraged my daughters to emulate … not anymore. Thank you so much for keeping us informed and for providing the tools/talks to encourage our daughters. Your ministry is a God-send.
P.S., I posted a link to the letter on my Facebook page today. Still dumbfounded…
I posted this letter on both my blog- http://stephaniehosszu.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-are-we-turning-our-daughters-into.html
And my facebook, when you first posted it and then again this last week.
We don’t allow Miley or any of the Disney girls in our house… no High School Musical either. Unfortunately it’s everywhere. My daughter only has a couple of friends who don’t like Miley and was even pressured into joining a Twilight group (she is in third grade for heaven’s sake). She declined and the girls in the group were no longer friends with her, but I was SO proud of her for sticking up for what she believes in and not giving into peer pressure.
I think it’s awesome when little girls have someone to look up to and for years she was a great role model. I don’t think she’s doing anything suprising- being a Madonna era child, for teenagers it isn’t as unexpected. Sad- yes, but not unexpected. I just encourage my girls to realize she’s an ‘adult’ or so- and they are young ladies. My girls are 9 and 5 and I pray they grow up and don’t think they need to act/ look like an object to be worthy of love. I think you guys are doing a great job of molding girls to give themselves more value than what is in Hollywood- Keep up the work! I’m posting the link now-
I have 5 daughters that thought “Hannah Montana” and Miley Cyrus were awesome. Our 11 yr old tends to “get addicted to” (for lack of a better phrase) what is “popular”. She had alot of HM stuff. We got rid of all of it when we saw that it was alomst an idol. For financial reasons, we got rid of the Disney channel (haven’t missed it!) and, thanks to SKG, I have been given the words to talk to my girls with. Thank you for your ministry!
I am a fan of SKG on FB.
NO wonder only 30 people have entered to win the $100 of free stuff. Your site is not very user friendly about entering.
I posted the link as soon as the letter was posted & I had people comment on it & just re-posted it. Last night we had guest over & the mom is a SKG mom too & we talked about it. She said she showed her daughters the picture of how Miley was dressed & they were in awe of what she was wearing. They then talked about how it is not appropriate how she is dressed & that they will not be fans. My husband & I have worked hard on teaching our daughter modesty since she was young. Now 7 she knows what is appropriate & what is not. Even if something is “in” style we don’t follow the trend. You don’t have to follow what everyone else is doing & it’s ok to be different. It’s important to keep the communication open about this. If it’s not Miley it will be someone in the mall, grocery store, and sometimes at church unfortunately. I am glad to have SKG as a tool for my daughter & get support as we our daughter grows. Thank you for all you do!
Melanie
facebook.com/mealniebrothers
Miley has to be responsible to girls, to be a good example.
I had no idea any of this was going on, until I received an email from SKG containing Dannah’s letter sometime in May. I immediately posted it on my FB page, as I have many many friends on my page that have daughters around the same age as mine and I wanted to help get the word out. My daughters are 7 and 9, and have never been avid Miley Cyrus fans, mostly due to the fact that we don’t have Disney Channel, but they do have one of Miley’s older CD’s and her latest movie.
I didn’t allow my daughters to watch the video, obviously. But we did talk about some of the choices that Miley had made and why they were not choices we want to support as Christian girls. At first, my 9 year old daughter decided that she didn’t want to follow any of Miley’s new stuff, but she asked if she could keep her CD and her Movie, and remember Miley “that way”.
We’ve since then had numerous discussions about Miley, as more info has unfolded (thanks to Dannah Gresh and her willingness to keep us informed!), and my daughters have now decided that they don’t want any Miley memorabilia in our house. They’ve decided in so many words that they would be continuing to support her if they continue to listen to and watch her. I am so proud of the decisions they made, as I did not prompt them at all to make this decision! This demonstrates that my girls are truly understanding and embracing the morals that we so desperately hope they cling to as they grow into strong Christian women!
By the way, please don’t submit our name in the drawing, as we would hope for someone else to be blessed as much as we have been by your books! My 9 year old and I had the pleasure of attending the Secret Keeper Girl Tour in Alexandria, Louisiana just over a year ago, and we purchased some of the items there. Taylor has enjoyed reading her books and we can’t wait to take my 7 year old to the next tour that comes to our area!!
Well, I was concerned as far back as last November. I bought tickets a year ago spring (May 2009) for the concert in Cleveland, Ohio in November of 2009. I was so brokenhearted after that concert, that I wrote an e-mail to some of my Facebook friends that have young daughters. Fortunately for me, my daughter, now 11, seems to have “outgrown” Miley now, but is sad and wishes that she hadn’t “changed” (my daughter’s comments). Here is an excerpt of the e-mail I sent to my friends (xxd out the names of my daughter & our friends):
“Hi friends,
I am writing this to some of my FB friends that I know have young daughters who have loved and enjoyed “Hannah Montana” like my daughter Rxxx We were unable to get tickets for the Hannah Montana concert 2 years ago, but we did get to see the 3D movie on it, and loved the movie/show.
So I decided to surprise her last June for a “job well done” with tickets for Miley Cyrus — and yesterday was the concert.
I thought some of you might be interested in my comments/review, just in case you are thinking of going to a show in your hometown, or for you to just “beware” of Miley and her changing image.
First of all, Rxxx and I went with some good friends of ours - Txxx and her daughter Nxxx. Both Txxx and I had the same thoughts after the concert- we thought that when Miley was under Disney and “Hannah Montana” her image was more “cute” and definitely her clothing at the last concert was more modest. Her appearance last night was shocking– the short, short, tight shorts, ALL LEG the whole concert (course as we surmised to each other it probably does get very hot with all that b-bopping and dancing and shaking around)… but her clothes and hair flinging and dropping to the floor so much were. in my opinion, very provacative. This morning I posted a review on Ticketmaster and then was able to read other reviews - some parents even called it “gyrating” so it was not just me.
Her brother Trace Cyrus and his band Metrostation opened for her - DEFINITELY for OLDER teens, not the 8-10 yr. old “tweens” that make up her fan base. Did not care for Trace’s band at all — couldn’t understand one word. Whoops - I did understand “Japanese Girl” on one of them, but the rest of it- yuk. And when he wiped his armpits with his shirt and tossed it into the audience - Tiff and I looked at each other and said GROSSSSSS!! LOL I always find it interesting those people that love to cover their entire body with tatoos and then demand that we “don’t judge them by their outside” I want to say “Oh really? then why do you deface your body in the first place??” First impressions ARE lasting impressions! I also checked on the Internet this morning - he is only 20 yrs. old, but I thought he was like 28, and honestly, he seemed kind of strung out too.
So… there you have it! I know you didn’t ask for it, but I felt like I should pass on my thoughts to some of my Christian friends whose daughters have probably enjoyed Miley/Hannah. Feel free to pass this on to anyone you feel might be interested.”
I posted the letter on FB back on June 8th and will do so again here in a moment. A very good letter with many good points and an overall good (and well-meaning) agenda. It is unfortunate that a fun-loving Disney gal has to again ’sex’ things up just because she’s almost 18.
Praying for the Cyrus family to wake up to their influence on our culture and girls.
Miley is not a healthy role model for our young ladies !!! Come on Miley clean up your act !!!
Dannah,
Thank you for putting it into better words than I ever could. I have talked to Jessica (9) about it as well as my son (8). I felt it was important to explain to BOTH of them what was wrong with her behavior in that video. I have linked this to my Facebook for the second time and “tagged” all of my friends with young girls. Keep on doing what you are doing - God has blessed you with a gift for reaching girls and their moms!
Jen
I don’t like using my facebook page for bombarding my friends with my views, but I posted this on my page because I was thankful a friend posted it and I found your wonderful website through it. It’s unfortunate Miley feels the need to portray herself so differently in order to keep or increase her fame. Her show was one of the few Disney shows I appreciated because it featured an actual parent figure and Miley often learned lessons from poor decisions (something that isn’t a regular ocurrence on other Disney shows.) My 8 year old daughter is thankfully embarrassed at this stage in her life by such clothing and dancing, so she will not be following Miley’s career or her example. I have used this opportunity in the same way as I used the unfortunate example of Ben Roethlisberger for my son. We have discussed that just because someone is rich and famous doesn’t mean they are a good role model. Good role models are people who are generous, kind, follow God’s rules, and encourage others to follow God’s ways rather than follow their own careers and fame. It would just be nice if they could watch someone famous model that appropriate behavior rather than always watch the famous people model the wrong behavior. I will be ordering some of the Secret Girls resources to help teach my daughter and I’m excited to have something fresh and interesting to use.
Hi. Just got up the nerve to post this on my facebook page. I don’t usually do this as I try to keep things neutral there. Most of my friends know my views on things so I don’t like to bombard them with my “soap box” issues.
What put me over the top was not my daughter and I talking about this, but my son and I. My son is very concious of modesty issues and is very vocal about it. He doesn’t hesitate to tell his older sister if he thinks what she’s wearing is in good form or not. More than once he’s told her he’s glad she doesn’t do cheer-dance teams because of their immodest outfits.
Anyway, he like the Hannah Montana show. Thought it was fun and goofy to watch. Now he doesn’t want to watch it anymore. And he’s told us he’s glad his sister isn’t into her because what Miley is doing now is “not good.”
I am so proud of my son for trying to protect his eyes and mind from overtly immodest images. I am also grateful that he is trying to be a Godly brother and watch out for his sister, too.
Thanks for speaking and putting together materials to help us raise Godly girls. The info does spill over to our sons. Do you know of any similar materials for boys?
From a grateful mom.
Dannah,
My kids do not know about the new album or the new video, as we don’t buy Miley’s music or watch any of her videos (no TV in our home).
I have discussed in the past with my kids about the double life of Miley/Hannah and how even though she may be trying to protect her privacy she is lying, and leading others to lie with her to keep her identity secret. I think the show has a few good qualities and for the most part good story lines with a lesson to be learned…but the whole show in essence is about lying to hide your identity.
I realize younger kids will not completely internalize the reality of this, however I think it leads to the generalization of some lying is good and some is bad.
The problem I find is young children and younger teens really aren’t equipped to determine the difference and eventually all lying is ok, whatever the reason. In general I have been discouraged with children’s TV programming, thus the removal of TV from our home.
I thank you so much for your encouragement and many hours spent to give us moms a great resource to encourage Godliness in our kids.
I have posted the Cyrus’ letter link to both my personal Facebook wall, and my Back to Basics Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/backtobasicsholistichealing
I talked to my daughter (10) and my son (12) about Miley’s picture on your post. I explained to them my concerns on the effect that will have on her fans. They understood, perfectly, what I was saying. I posted this on my FB page to,hopefully, unite more voices against this type of negative role-modeling. Thank you for putting it into better words, than I ever could.
I just posted a note on my FB. My girls looked up to Miley and I allowed them too. We are talking about how sometimes stardom takes a person down the wrong path.
My girls looked up to Miley and I allowed them too. We are talking about how sometimes stardom takes a person down the wrong path. I posted a note on my FB page.
My youngest daughter and I discussed Miley and what (not who) she is becoming and we decided that we will not keep things related to her including Hannah Montana items/songs….We deleted all the HM songs off her MP3 and they refuse to watch her show even the reruns. My husband was very upset by this also and agrees that this is NOT something we will condone!
I have talked with my daughter (12) about Miley. She has never being “into” her, but more than ever we turn the radio station when she comes on. My daughter is aware of the inappropriate lifestyle she leads. I appreciate your letter and wish the Cyrus family would really take a look at what they have created. Appreciate what you are doing.
Thank you helping my daughter understand why we do not any way support superstars who do not share the same christian values. In saying this, we do have three grown adult children who are consistently buying our almost six year old daugher Hannah Montana items and we are consistently having to give them away which causes a lot of fret with our daughter as she use to say it is not fair, she is not bad, her show is cool, well you get the jest. After we watched the video “together” and discussed what her thoughts were, she noted “mommy” that is gross..why is she kissing a girl? Mommy she has funny panty hose that has a big hole. Why would she wear that…it is not pretty. So, as you see our long conversation was very inspiring and refreshing knowing that you have helped her on her age level to understand how we should choose our role models wisely and to dress nicely because she now understands her beauty comes from Christ’s love within to outward. Thank you and may the Lord continue to bless your ministry.
Hi Dana, we have always been a Disney Family and have loved Miley from the start. I know that Kylie is only 3 1/2, but it is never too early to start letting her know what is ok and what is not. I seems like everywhere we look things that should be safe are not, the language on TV is full of bombs, the clothes, the way the kids talk to their parents and to each other, it makes me cringe! That was one of the reasons we started watching Disney! We thought it was safe…thank you for keeping our eyes open!
I have one daughter, age 11. She has been “aware” of ‘Hannah Montana’ but has also asked a lot of questions from day one. Part of what my daughter was seeing in Miley’s public life is what appears to be a hunger for public recognition and self promotion. At that time we shared with our daughter, that scripture says, “pride comes before a fall”. We encouraged our daughter to pray for Miley as her face appears of so many things, because, behind the public image is a SOUL - an idividual who God created in HIS OWN image.
Secondly, it has been a great opportunity to parent our daughter on how our lives influence others. Miley does have a lot of influence. Our culture has become desensitized to virtues - - modesty. Having a standard and sticking to it is ridiculed. Mom’s we must be seadfast in training our children that the HEART is the well spring of life. Too many times we address the behavior and neglect the root of the issue - - HEART MATTERS. What seeds are we allowing to be sown into the hearts of our daughters?
I am deeply disappointed in the choices that Miley is making. I am thankful that while my daughter is curious about Miley she recognizes the temperalness of Miley’s choice of lifestyle. We must rebuke the behavior and pray for Miley’s soul.
Thank you, Dannah, for standing strong and being willing to confront the real issues.
We have a very perceptive man of the house who did not let us get into Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus shows. He predicted that it was likely she would head down this road. It is amazing for the children(we have two teen girls and 3 younger boys) to witness this progression…albeit from afar…from this website or the news. It gives their Dad some credence and the kids some street smarts without having to lose their own innocence.
Lately, the girls have begun wearing skirts only. Not because we ask this of them and not so much because they believe they should only be in skirts but because skirts are a nice way to embrace both femininity and modesty. My girls are just as happy to run around barefoot, play kickball, etc, in their skirts (shorts underneath) as they are in pants.
The shorter the trendy skirts get, the longer ours seem to get. The more bare the trend, the more we seem to cover. The tighter the shirt trend, the looser our shirts become…The tighter the pants, the lower the waists, the more comfortable skirts are.
We have taught that a good way to fight a vice is to practice its opposite virtue…I guess this is what they are operating on when they choose to oppose the trend in this way.
We have also taught that you vote with your money. We can speak to the market by only purchasing what we want to see more of. We shop frequently at thrift stores and rarely go to movies…but if a good Christian movie is out, we pay to see it and if we want to buy something new, we usually buy skirts…and will even pay full price for them (while buying everything else on sale) We also express to the companies -when shopping online - that we are happy they provide skirts or whatever modest fashion it happens to be. (Thanks Dannah, for this idea!!)
The girls swim with Rash shirts (swimsuits underneath) and swim shorts or swim skirts.
I am deeply proud of the way my girls have embraced modesty as a way to love God more and to make Jesus center. Their dress is an amazing witness. They also wear crosses and crucifixes. We have a friend who was wearing her crucifix and a young girl asked “Who is that naked man on your necklace” People are being raised today completely without even the knowledge of Jesus in their life!
Even if not Catholic, I would challenge people to wear a Crucifix or a necklace with a risen Christ on it…so people can at least see a depiction of who we love so much!!
They have also chosen to wait to date and date to mate …in other words, they will not date anyone they would not marry and they will not date until they are able to marry.
Chastity and the single life are beautiful gifts from God and a great time to learn about their relationship with their number one man…Jesus their King. Teen years are years for learning who you are and want to be without the interference of boys. It is also a time to have special time with Dad…to learn how to be treated like a lady and with respect. It is a time to be close to God and discern His will for them…be it marriage and motherhood, chastity and the single life, or a religious vocation.
I tell them that make up, earrings, etc. tend to give the impression that they are ready to date. Also, they can look older than they are and this can invite trouble as well.
We also pray for more modest styles to come into the world, pray for the conversion of those, like Miley Cyrus, who seem lost, pray for their future spouse and vocation, and to pray for the virtues needed to stay close to God, namely, humility and courage. We also enjoy Church, Bible study, religious ed., the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Mass, and Holy Communion. All these things shore up their faith and strengthen them not to just get themselves to heaven but to witness to others and bring others along with them.
We pray the Rosary which is a walk through Jesus’ life with His mother Mary. Mary is a model of love and modesty and is a true role model of what is pleasing to her son. There is much Grace available from God for those who ask, seek, and knock…He is always home and always answers the door!
God easily grants these Graces to those who seek them!
His Love for us is so much bigger than our shortcomings…He is ready and He is waiting…with open arms!!
Thank you for taking a stand for your faith, for Jesus, and for our girls, their modesty, and their chastity!!
Debbie
Dannah - Hi! I applaud what you are doing to help our girls ‘attempt’ to grow up in a culture of appropriate role models. My daughter, Aly is 9. She likes hannah - and has grown up with the Disney show and her music. We’ve talked about how Miley has mad poor choices and she said ‘Mom, she is really not being a good model for other girls.’ She agreed that she would also talk to her friends about it when she could. My daughter is level-headed and after ‘learning’ through Secretkeeper Girls that who you act like you are, and who you show the world you are, is what others believe.
We both feel for the girls out there ‘buying’ into this person that Miley is encouraging them to emulate.
We will spread our message around to those we can - keep up your good work!
Hi there Dannah! I posted a link to your letter and blog on my blog as soon as I got your e-mail about it. I also chose right then to be DONE with Hannah/Miley anything. Thankfully, my 9 1/2 year old daughter is equally as disappointed and disgusted with Miley’s behavior and actions, that I haven’t had to fight her regarding the issue. I like to think that it is because we have done several of the SKG dates and one of our latest ones was about the “intoxicating” power of women over men. It was very easy for my daughter to see the problem with the way Miley is behaving these days. Since it’s summer and we host lots of sleepovers during this time year, there have been many little girls who’ve been “informed” of our position on Hannah/Miley while they were here. It makes me proud to sit back and listen to my daughter explain why the way she is acting is wrong and that God wants HIS GIRLS to be modest and Godly in this perverse world. She isn’t negative about it all…but actually is excited about being CUTE and sassy and WAY fashionable AND being modest. Now all of her friends know all the little “tests” and check each others clothes before we leave the house (and MINE!):-)
I’m so glad that we’re not “bashing” anyone…that’s not God’s higher way…but we are taking a stand for what is right! I will continue to share the word as will my daughter….
Thanks!!
Jen
www.keepinupwiththejoneses.blogspot.com
I teach our junior high girls Sunday School class. We are studying the book of Esther, and incorporating modesty, purity, and how to live a lifestyle pleasing to God. We recently discussed Miley Cyrus, and to my amazement, none of the girls were fans. They all were very disappointed in the choices she is making, and understood why we should be concerned about the influence she is making on their peers.
We used to watch Hannah Montana until I read your post. How sad that Hollywood has turned another positive role model for girls into a negative sex symbol. I am tired of seeing girls like Miley, Lindsey, Mary Kate and Ashley, and Brittney to name a few destroy their lives just to keep their name in bright lights. What good is it to gain the whole world if you lose your soul in the process. I talked to my children about it and they are in agreement, and are also saddened that Miley would lower herself to such standards. She obviously does not have a sense of self-respect or dignity and definitely does not know how much her Heavenly Father grieves over these recent decisions. We will be praying for her.
The one comment my daughter could say after we talked was, “Mom if Miley knows that many little girls look up to her how could she act like that!” I am so proud of her and how she can see why its not acceptable to act that way or look up to someone who does! I have posted your letter on my facebook, and I will do it again! Your great and thank you so much for being such a wonderful inspiration to mom’s of wonderful little girls!!!
My daughter who is 10, is so disappointed in Miley.
You know. My husband used to be a teacher. He was fired after accusations of inappropriate conduct. These girls decided to accuse him and we lost everything. We are still fighting for his life. We are a Christian family with three little girls. We have worked hard to raise our girls to be modest. My husband took this attitude to the classroom. He worked hard to protect the girls from unwanted attention from boys and tried to teach the boys to be respectful of girls. What he got in exchange for his efforts is a court case.
When I read about Miley it angers me on more levels than one. Of course I want to protect my girls from these behaviors, as well as protect others children (both girls and boys)…but, it is a symptom of our society in which our little ones are becoming more and more educated on sexual issues earlier and earlier. It upsets me that the parents of the girls who are accusing my husband have not protected their girls. And even further they are throwing them into a web of lies and deceipt all for what? The possibility of money?
Miley, I wish you would’ve thought just a little harder when making such a decision. It is a devestating decision, but one that can be reversed. I PRAY that you will reconsider you role in this world and change it back to the beautiful, positive role model you were once. Not that you have to be Hannah Montana (I’d prefer you don’t, ’cause I’m tired of everyone thinking I named my daughter after your character)…but, transition into something other than what you believe is expected of you in Hollywood.
Thanks for ther info on how to speak to our children reguarding what is in the media. I would not have known about Miley’s performance since we do not watch much evening TV. Keep up the great work
Ouch, this is very sad. My girls are 13, and 15 and they can’t believe this has happened. They use to watch her on TV all the time, and now, they won’t even watch the re-runs. I think these parents are partly the blame letting their young girls go to these concerts. Daily, we have to remind our girls to make good choices. We also have to show them. This is not a good choice, but if the parents are letting them attend the concert, well it must be ok, right? I just don’t get it. Life goes by to fast and kids are not just kids any more. I’m a Lunch Aide at a Jr. High school, and what I see is very bad, sex (yes, in Jr, Hs) drugs,drinking and young girls getting pregnant. They are just babies and have their whole life a head of them, but they’re wasting it. If the world said its ok, it must be. We need to teach our kids better and these parents need to get a clue. PRAY PRAY PRAY, its a lost world out there…. May GOD BLESS AMERICA
By the way, I love the lady above who has no TV. That is truly a blessing and we should all do that. Way to go
Definately appauling as her target audience is so young. What is the motivation? We have said good bye to Hannah Montana shows in our home.
Thanks for the awareness we all need continuously. We have 4 girls & 1 son, the media freaks me out. I am so sad to see Miley & her parent’s make this complete compromise. I posted the letter on my facebook page to share with all my friends with young daughters AND sons.
I posted this on my FB page.
This has been a discussion with my 10 yo for awhile now. We’ve been watching Miley since she first became big in Hollywood and my daughter and I have had a continuing dialogue. In 2007 we saw her in concert in the Best of Both Worlds tour, which was an incredible experience. Unfortunately, she has not stayed the sweet innocent role model we all hoped she would.
In light of the direction Miley has been going and after a heart to heart, my daughter has decided to purge her entire collection of Hannah Montana/Miley everything. She asked if her Max Azria clothing line was included and I told her that it was up to what she thought was best. She decided that since there was no picture or reference to Miley, she would keep her favorite shirt (the one she tried to wear to school everyday for 3 weeks and it also happened to be the one she was wearing during our discussion). So she started bringing things up one by one for me to put in a bag to throw away. The last thing she brought was the shirt she had been wearing. Through her tears she said she knew it was what God wanted her to do. It broke my heart to see her cry and I wanted to tell her to keep it, but she knew what she had to do.
Tonight she brought me a letter she had written to Miley, telling her what a role model she had been and sad and disappointed she (my daughter) is. She included that she got rid of all of her Miley things and added that if Miley decides to go back to her values and be a positive influence for young girls, she will again be her fan.
I am so proud of that girl. I know how hard this was for her.
I am a fan of Secret Keeper Girl on FB and just posted your Open Letter on my profile page. I’ve had a discussion with my kids about the changes in Miley Cyrus and how that is inappropriate for us, especially since we’ve given our lives to Jesus. My youngest daughter who will be turning 5 next week really wanted a Hannah Montana birthday party and I’ve really been struggling with it after seeing your latest post. After both of us praying, she agreed to change her party theme. And both of my girls have started sharing with their friends or change in attitude towards the whole Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus thing. Thanks for keeping us aware of what’s going on and giving us the tools for keeping our girls Secret Keepers!
Thanks for keeping us up on this kind of information. My daughter who is 11 has picked up on some of the subtle changes and we discussed what you have said on this blog. My daughter said “She is lost”…..well put. We will be in prayer for her and the family. It seemed they had done a good job up to this time. Why does becoming a young adult in the entertainment world mean you have to leave any control and sense of innocence behind!
A friend had forwarded me your last blog about Miley. Although I was hearing some things here and there, admittedly I was stunned. When my 12 year old daughter came home, I asked her what she thought about Miley, knowing only that she was less and less interested in watching her show. “Mom - have you seen her video???? It is totally inappropriate!” For a split second I was stunned, because she sounded like me. Although I have watched her growing up before my eyes, I knew at that moment that the values I have tried to instill in my daughter have indeed become a part of her. We decided together that Miley, or Hannah Montana in any form, would not be seen in this house. My daughter pretty much decided that all on her own. She also stated that she tells her friends that Miley is “inappropriate” and her behavior is “disgusting”. She tells me that they no longer follow her either. I am pleased to know that my daughter not only sees this for herself, but is becoming a role model for other girls her age. Thank you for sharing this with all of us moms, that we can keep our eyes open wide as well.
I am talking to my daughters tonight. This is just totally unacceptable for a Christian. And we are Christians. I’m sure they will be open to what I have to say.
Hi Dannah, I agree with you totally, very saddened the way Miley has taken her career. I have a 7 yr old daughter who like her and a 15 yr old niece who loves her. I really hope and pray that she turns around and I will be talking to my daughter about her and the direction she has taken tonight. I want to instill in her that this is not the right way to go, Miley has made a bad decision. Thanks for keeping us all up to date on this issue. I have posted this on my blog http://sarah-faithgrowsdaily.blogspot.com. Thanks again
My 11 year old has seen for herself how Miley has changed for the worse. She has stopped desiring Hannah Montana items for a while now. I never allowed her to watch the show because of the sarcasm and attitudes I didn’t want my daughters to adapt. They are home educated and I try to raise them with integrity and purity. I did, however, allow Miley’s music in our home because I had not heard anything inappropriate. That was until recently on the radio in the car, I heard Miley with a new song using profanity. My 11 year old read your letter to Miley’s parents with me. She ran upstairs saying “I’m going to take her off my ipod”.
my granddaughter who is 8,saw miley last night in a fast commercial and was appalled. she said she will not watch her anymore and said most of her friends feel the same. i have talked to her about the recent things that have happened with miley. i told her to pray for her and am grateful for your website
Our randomly selected winner was Shannon Dobel! Congratulations Shannon!