Nisma Rafiq

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Miley Ray Cyrus, or more popularly known as Hannah Montanna, a fun loving teenage girl who had the best of both worlds, no longer possesses the paramount position in the real world.



Cyrus has disappointed thousands of fans across the globe post her raunchy performance at the MTV Music Video Awards. The young actress/singer started her career with minor roles in television series “Doc” and film “Big fish.”



Her first breakthrough, however, came with “Hannah Montanna,” aired on Disney Channel series in 2006.  At the tender age of 13, Cyrus also gained fame for her singing, and launched three studio albums soon after.



She was the cutest face viewers ever saw. Young school girls idolized her and companies cashed in on Cyrus’ popularity by offering them “Hannah Montanna”  merchandise, from school bags to t-shirts she was and is the fashion icon with a huge fan following. The show portrayed her as an ordinary girl and a pop star.



At 17 she was placed on number 19 on the “Top 20 World’s Richest Female Singers of All Time” list, with over $100 million in earnings in five years. In 2011, she was named no.1 on the Top 10 Richest Teens in Hollywood, with $120 million. Disney molded her character in a way that even adults liked and acknowledged her.



“The first glimpse I had of Miley Cyrus was in her show ‘Hannah Montanna.’ I thought she was cast only due to her father’s influence, Billy Ray Cyrus, who is a country singer.  “So, out of curiosity I watched her show. I started watching it regularly and anticipated for the next episode. “I realized that I had starting liking her and enjoyed it. It was her acting and singing that helped her rise to fame and glory — not influence,” said 22-year-old Rabia Khan.



Fame soon got to her head because a couple of movies and two seasons of “Hannah Montanna” later, Cyrus was gripped in a whirlwind of shameful predicaments: use of drugs, controversial performances, obscene dress-ups and irrational behavior.



From a child star she transformed into an adult with no direction. “She was a sweet little angel when she started out as Hannah Montanna. And quite honestly, I know a lot of young girls who looked up to her,” said Imama Aleem, 19, who is not a fan of Cyrus anymore.



She said: “It’s the usual ‘fame-got-to-her-head’ scenario. She got everything at a very young age and she didn’t really know how to take it. “In fact, I don’t think it’s her fault actually. This is to be expected. You can’t just hand a kid a bag of candy and expect him to not gorge on it right then and there.” In recent, MTV Video music awards, she shocked billion of her fans and shattered her innocent image forever with her lascivious performances with Robert Thickle. She was already losing fans already due to controversies, but her performance at the MTV Music Awards was just the last straw for her fans.



“Her attire and her blatant attitude has disappointed and angered a lot of her fans,” said Khan. “She is just like other pop stars, indecent,” 15 year-old Maiyad Saeed said, a former fan of Miley Ray Cyrus, angrily.



Saeed had a “Hannah Montanna” school bag and stationery which she no longer uses. Zainab Suhail said that she used to watch “Hannah Montanna” everyday after coming home from school. “It was my favorite show. I would log on YouTube to watch my favorite episodes. But I don’t like her anymore. She is dirty.”