The Thing About Miley

Miley’s whole thing has been refusing to be palatable—trading Hannah Montana’s wholesomeness for provocation, weaponizing her own image as a way of saying no to the things they wanted to lock her into. The shock gets the attention, but what’s actually smart is the control underneath. She knew exactly what she was doing, which made it different from just being another hot girl in pop. Everything that followed came from a position of power.