The Death of Hannah Montana
Don’t freak out. As far as I know Miley Cyrus is fine. What I’m writing about the death of the brand that is Hannah Montana.
Last week there was all this commotion around some photos that were taken for an issue of Vanity Fair magazine. I love Annie Lebowitz and thought the photos were fine. I actually didn’t think that the one that really got the most attention was that good if I’m being honest. Parents were mad that a young girl would take suggestive photos. Even when in my opinion they was only minimal suggestion in them. But, that is a whole other discussion.
The point in all of this is that it is obvious that we are watching a transition from Hannah Montana (a fake character created by Disney) to Miley Cyrus, pop superstar. This is a planned, calculated first move in a campaign to change her image. People won’t like it all, but it is just like when a product or company renames itself. You’ve got to get people talking about you and guess what? Here we all are talking about it.
My daughter loves both. Isn’t it obvious by this picture? For the longest time she thought of them as separate people. When she bought the CD there were separate ones for each of them. The music was similar but different. I’ve watched as slowly she talks more about Miley and Hannah is forgotten. It has been happening for weeks and she is unaware of all this craziness going on right now.
There is no quicker way to kill off a young innocent girl then to have her grow up. It happens to the best of them and that is what we are seeing.
Soon Miley will be 16. Her fans are growing up as well. Sure, she has the choice of if she stays a “good girl” or she ends up becoming the new poster child for abuse and stupidity (i.e. Britney).
I’m just sick of reading and hearing about people “taking advantage of her” or Miley “not know what is going on” because nothing could be further from the truth. This is all just part of the big brand game and there is sure to be more soon. Sometimes you’ve got to take the good and the bad or as Hannah would sing “the best of both worlds.”
Not *entirely* sure that the Hannah brand is going away anytime real soon. All you need to do is walk into your local Wal Mart, there’s Hannah Montanna - front and center. We went to the local skating rink a week or two ago and a young girl was celebrating her birthday with friends. Plates, cups, and the cake all featured the image of the pre-fab popstar. Heck, Disney is on the cusp of rolling out both Hannah and HSM branded-Crocs(comfy walking shoes adored by Disney park fanatics around the world).
There’s no denying that Miley is trying to set herself up for the next phase in her pop-career. But Hannah going AWOL ? Who Says ?
When you rebrand, one of two things are at work:
1. It’s a plan for growth - in this case, Miley is definitely being managed to have a roadmap for an audience wider than the Hannah crowd. The rebranding and transition makes sense.
2. Sometimes, when a company rebrands, it’s a desperate attempt to shake off its past and get consumers to forget how badly they’ve screwed up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t - if the management doesn’t change along with the rebrand, the new company is just as doomed. One that pulled this off successfully? AirTran. Not many travelers know that AirTran used to be ValuJet.
[…] as I woke up this morning I was able to get out a post on what I called The Death of Hannah Montana. I’ve had the thoughts bopping around in my head for a while so I’m glad I finally got […]
I saw some of the same thing when I moved from Contemporary Christian Music into Piano Rock. It’s weird that some people aren’t a fan of the person but the image they’ve built around the person.
Nicely put C.C. This move is totally intentional and thought through. I just hope she doesn’t follow Britney’s footsteps…
Yes, this was absolutely a calculated move, I wrote a little rant about how everyone is shocked (shocked!) about the whole thing over on Media Bullseye. It’s like they don’t even realize they are being manipulated, and the media is all too willing to play along…
I agree that this is a calculated “change in branding” but I can’t say that I agree with the tactic. As a trained psychotherapist, I can’t say that pushing the sexual envelope as a mid-teen is good for her psyche or for the girls her age that are her fans.
The law, thankfully, says that 15 is too young to consent to sex, and although the suggestion in Miley’s photo is mild, I think it is a step down the wrong road. I know that young teens have sex everyday, but I’m not for young teens being “packaged” and marketed in such a sexual way when they are ill-equipped to deal with the emotional and physical ramifications of sex at their age. Teens definitely take the lead of the stars their age.
Hey CC, I’m totally with you on this one, after all, every mayor artist that plans to boost its career (especially girls) use this tactic of semi-nude pics to boost their numbers in the media. Think about it, Cristina and Britney did the same thing back in the days. This is a stunt to take her out of Disney and get her to produce millions more than what she already is producing, in other words, they (her managers) are just using her.
Wow, when I saw your headline I thought for sure you were going to jump the bandwagon and say how MC has totally gone down the toilet and her career is over. Glad - so glad - you don’t feel that way. Part of me thinks that if there hadn’t been a crop of teen-stars-turned-drunks hitting the magazines in the last few years, this whole photo shoot would not have attracted as much attention. Come on, good girls don’t sell papers, but the ‘good girls gone wild’ make headlines. Yeah, she’s being managed, so what. She’s a singer and an actress (and a KID), she needs to be managed. It’s her *career* … would you just make random choices and decisions in your career?
While I also agree this is a calculated move to start shifting her image, personally I think it’s good they start now. History shows how difficult it is for a child star to make the jump to adulthood, especially without strong family support (hello Brit’s mom, she’s not going to win any parenting awards soon). Miley is a teen star I have absolutely no problems letting my daughter ‘buy into’ - as well as Raven-Symone.
Sorry but it is never appropriate or in good taste to promote a 15 year old girl in a sexual fashion. Come on, that photog knew what she was doing. A young girl looking naked with only a bedsheet and a “come hither” look? Call it what it is. The law protects children for good reason and we put sexual predators in jail (hello Chris Hanson @ NBC’s Dateline). Just because sex sells doesn’t mean we have to exploit our young people for the entertainment of the masses. Now we have Brittney’s younger sister pregnant. That’s not an image I want my daughters to buy into. Miley will get herself back on track now that she and her “handlers” have had a taste of how most of the public feels about such exploitation.
I mostly agree with you CC - this appears to be a planned move and to cry victim is utterly silly. Annie L is a known quantity. Her parents were with her on the set. End of that part of the discussion IMO. And sorry, Disney is loving the publicity I think, even while they feign distress. There is plenty going on at that company well past the G and PG ratings.
[now for squishy zone, that PRchick has alluded to]
Younger and younger girls are wanting to be sexy. They think there is power in that. In reality, there is fame (and often abuse); few can follow in Madonna’s footsteps and truly convert the slut card into woman-to-be-dealt-with card.
Sexuality imbues so much of media and our lives today, side by side with all the admonishments against it. It is classic cat and mouse, both kept alive and well apparently because it is still fun for some.
Please return us to your usual programming.
I prefer unadulterated positivism that I associate with the CC Chapman brand.
As a father of a young daughter I completely see both sides and I do worry about the younger and younger “sexy factor.” To be blunt it scares me to death!
We need to collectively let young girls know that it is not all about being pencil thin and wearing skimpy clothes. Every day I see parents with little girls dressed a certain way and I want to stop them and scream at them.
And Roxanne, thank you for the last line of your post. The fact that you feel that way about me says a lot and certainly gives me something to think about. Actually a lot to think about.