Meghan O’Rourke of Slate.com argues that the fuss over the photos of Miley Cyrus in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine was overblown, and instead took aim at the “lousy with a wised-up materialism” found when watching the Disney Channel show she stars in, ‘Hannah Montana’.
“The issue here isn’t the relative appropriateness of a 15-year-old being photographed draped in bedsheets but the degree to which Cyrus’ parents and Disney have consigned Cyrus to the excruciating demands of being a thoroughly ‘packaged’ ‘tween star,” O’Rourke writes. “Because if you turn on the Disney Channel and clock a little time with ‘Hannah Montana’, what you’ll find is that the layers of self-presentation in the photos are nowhere near as weird as those in the show itself.” Read more.

McClatchy Newspapers columnist Lori Borgman says that Miley Cyrus has become a “quitter” after ditching her fresh, young and wholesome image to instead “joined a legion of other confused teens slinking down the path with the signs marked Vamp.” Borgman writes, “Miley’s parents quit, too. No thinking parents leave their 15-year-old daughter with celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz. She’s hardly Norman Rockwell. Leibowitz is known for posing her subjects naked and half-naked. Leibowitz quit, too. How much easier to do the cliche, as opposed to something fresh and original.” The article at miamiherald.com has since been removed.

Rosie O’Donnell visited the ‘Today’ show on Monday (May 5), where the former host of ‘The View’ shared her thoughts on the uproar surrounding Miley Cyrus after the ‘Hannah Montana’ star appeared backless in the new issue of Vanity Fair magazine. “I don’t blame Miley Cyrus,” O’Donnell told Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. “I think the double standard is very hypocritical. We are a country that sells sex to kids on a daily basis. Don’t blame the little girl. If you saw her on the beach, she’d be more nude than she was in that photo.”

As for the photographer behind the images, Annie Leibovitz, Rosie called her “a genius on the level of Mozart in photography. She’s very intimidating.” Read more and watch the interview at MSN.com.

In a column for the Chicago Sun-Times, Dr. Laura Berman shared her thoughts on the Miley Cyrus backless photo controversy the ‘Hannah Montana’ star found herself in. “Regardless of whether or not these sexy photos hurt or harm Miley’s career (and knowing Hollywood, they will probably help),” Dr. Berman writes, “parents can actually use this situation to their own advantage and use this story as a ‘teachable moment,’ in which they impart their own point of view and sexual mores to their children in an open and constructive conversation.” Suntimes.com has since removed the article.

Miley Cyrus performed at the Disney Channel Games concert Saturday night, thanking fans for their support following the ‘Hannah Montana’ star’s controversial photo spread in the new issue of Vanity Fair. “I hope you had an awesome time,” Cyrus told the crowd after performing her set. “I saw a sign back there that said, ‘Miley, I’m praying for you.’ I could not be more appreciative. Thank you guys for all your support. Without you, none of this would be possible. I love everyone of you and I could not be more appreciative. God bless you.” Check out more details from People.com.