COMM303 - research portfolio by 201748397

Movie Cameos

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-18 22:40:14 UTC

Beyond Hannah Montana, Miley featured in other movies, demonstrating her adaptability to varied roles and characters, opening up her potential audience reach. It shows in some ways that the leading role is not her only ability and her presence in the wider industry system.

scandals

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-18 23:01:47 UTC

As with many other celebrities, star life does not and will not come without harsh criticsms and negative audience responses

business model

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-18 23:02:37 UTC

The Hannah Montana franchise was created into a multi-platform brand consisting of TV, film, music, live performances and merchandising. It presents her as more of a brand and less so a performer or human being which links to the idea of her image as a cause for consumption and for strategic corporate purposes, being shaped by a business model rather than her own personal ambitions.

Cancel culture

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 12:39:13 UTC

This article surrounds the idea of cancel culture and emphasises Mileys struggle of scrutiny and controversy in the public eye, specifically during her Bangerz period where her performances and image was scene as provocative and overly sexualised. Through articles and speaking up about areas such as these, Miley chooses to gain control over the narrative and use these times in her life as a tool in reframing these criticisms as empowerment and a portrayal of authenticity rather than an act to bring her down

Family ties

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 13:00:00 UTC

Miley's family consists of famous faces such as her dad Billy Ray Cyrus, a country singer who became known to the music scene in the 1990's with his chart-topping song "Achy Breaky Heart" and later featuring in Disney channel films and TV programmes, aiding in Miley's appearance in the spotlight. Other relatives such as younger sister and singer-songwriter Noah Cyrus and rock singer Trace Cyrus both boosted her spotlight in the public eye.

Connection to Dolly Parton

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 13:14:00 UTC

Introduced by her Miley's father, Dolly Parton became a prominent figure in Miley's life being chosen as her godmother and paving the way to her country music career from a young age. This connection provided a positive reputation for Miley, featuring in her early TV appearances and collaborating on several occasions such as a remake of her celebrated pop hit 'Wrecking Ball'.

Rise to stardom

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 13:17:42 UTC

Hannah Montana beginnings

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 13:53:32 UTC

Airing between 2006 and 2011, Hannah Montana is a Disney channel teen sitcom centred around Miley's character, becoming her first lead role and growing popularity among the young, primarily female, audience., gaining a huge fan base through this.

music evolution

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-19 18:22:38 UTC

The change in Miley Cyrus' music is something studied by many, with her moving from the mid 2000s innocent and fun teen idol to post 18 year old wild child phase to the late 2010s softer folk/lyrical era soon into her rebel rock phenomenon and then finally to her empowered, reflective stage with her release of the hit song Flowers.

becoming a woman/star

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-20 11:47:01 UTC

This article looks at the way that "becoming a woman" can be linked to "being a celebrity" and the importance of authenticity in a stars identity, something which Hannah Montana embodies

post-feminist sensibility

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-20 12:49:53 UTC

Here, Blue argues that shows such as Hannah Montana, especially those on Disney, market youth actresses as ordinary girls that turn into celebrity girls where the idea of reality and celebrity is intertwined

Wrecking ball

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-24 16:46:06 UTC

This music video for Miley's new song sparked an incredible amount of controversy and conversations around her new image. It was her moving point away from the innocent, fun Disney girl towards the new rebellious and somewhat provocative star image. the partial nudity and suggestive outfits drove media fixation and led to questions around the sincerity of this unexpected shift in character

Close partnerships

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-25 17:57:22 UTC

Married Life

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 11:17:46 UTC

Miley Cyrus was married to Liam Hemsworth between the years of 2018 and 2020, after a turbulent relationship in the public eye, having met on set for their film The Last Song (2009). The relationship became a public narrative and was in some senses constructed by the media who were able to shape the narrative and the audiences perception of Miley. The romance, as with many other high-profile relationships, allowed fans to emotionally invest and be a part of her transformation from a Disney star to rebellious rockstar, allowing her personal life to become a strategic extension of her star image, instead of a private space for both.

Negative media image

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 12:19:04 UTC

Dating history

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 12:29:00 UTC

Past celebrity relationships have contributed to Miley's image in the public eye throughout her life, through a variety of media platforms. Celebrities such as singer Nick Jonas, reality star Kaitlynn Carter, singer Cody Simpson and current partner and musician Maxx Morando were a few notable close partnerships to Miley.

Discussions on sexuality

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 13:26:37 UTC

Miley has in several interviews and articles opened up about her sexuality, coming out as pansexual to the public and being open about her first relationship with a female. She embraces who she is and defies the constraints of the classic 'male/female' gender binaries, embracing fluidity and opening her audience up to this side of her.

LGBTQ community

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 13:52:04 UTC

Miley has become popular mong the LGBTQ community through not only her transparency on social media but also her campaigning in events such as the 2015 VMAs where she giving drag visibility on stage and donating large sums of money to charities such as the AIDS research organisation. She looks to get rid of discrimination and alteres her brand image into a more ......

"Bad girl" image

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-27 13:52:41 UTC

Happy Hippie Foundation

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-28 21:40:00 UTC

In 2014, Miley founded the Happy Hippie Foundation supporting the LGBTQ population, homeless youth and many other vulnerable populations. This portrayed a charitable and selfless side to the popstars persona, creating a more positive image for her regardless of the criticisms

Later acting career

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-28 21:51:52 UTC

After her boost to fame in Hannah Montana, Miley was scouted for several other feature films within the junior and young adult genre such as The Last Song, LOL and Bolt, showing Mileys desire to continue her acting career and remain recognized in the film and TV industry

Star Image of Miley Cyrus

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-28 22:04:19 UTC

Notable discography

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-28 22:11:32 UTC

How do fans react to cancel culture and controversies

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-28 22:29:02 UTC

Drug use

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 13:00:23 UTC

Cyrus talks about how she used to hide her purchased drugs from her accountant through labelling them as 'vintage clothes'. She speaks about this in several interviews and opens up about her struggles with addiction and how she manages to overcome it, portraying her vulnerabilities to the public. It shows the reckless side to her persona yet also someone who has redefined herself through the experience and learnt from it, something which allows fans and followers to connect with her on a deeper level and see her as someone able to learn from past mistakes.

MTV VMA 2013 appearance

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 13:48:05 UTC

This appearance from Miley sparked the debate surrounding her provocative appearance and became a hugely talked about moment in her career. She as seen to be 'twerking' and gesturing in a suggestive way, positioning her now as a transgressive star rather than the previously angelic one that had been given to her. Celebrities such as her and Nicki Minaj are seen to be those to repopularise the phenomenon of 'twerking', giving Cyrus both critisicm for conveying elements of Black Culture but also high levels of visibility to create attention, potentially using scandal as a tool in her redefining.

Social media presence

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 13:58:34 UTC

The Bangerz album (2013)

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 14:40:56 UTC

The release of Mileys Bangerz album in 2013 marked the turning point in her career where she showed her desire to leave her music and image in the past and move onto a new stage in her career. She changed her target audience substantially and used hip-hop influences in the work to alter the music genre once released. Collaborations with artists such as Big Sean and Britney Spears and producers such as Pharrell Williams, Cyrus showed her versatility and experimental side to her sound, with the release of emotional ballads with a pop hit energy.

We Can't Stop

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 15:05:53 UTC

Similarly, Mileys single We Can't Stop became a hit and acts as a deliberate strike against her previous innocent, good-girl image and a move towards a her evolved image. This represents a cultural narrative where many transitioning stars in the industry feel the need to push boundaries and use scandal as a tool to escape their younger image and begin to be taken seriously by the public.

Miley Cyrus and her dead petz (2015)

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 15:20:29 UTC

This album, although not quite as remembered by followers, was unexpectedly dropped and was a Miley unlike we've ever seen before. She experimented with the Psychedelic Rock genre, with themes of sex and drugs running throughout. Reviews were mixed on this album with some critics praising her unconventional and experimental ideas but other considering it as unfinished and of a lower quality.

Younger Now album (2017)

hsswalk4 — 2025-10-29 15:27:00 UTC

This album shows Miley on her quest to self-discovery and the way that she has grown as an individual from her past music experiences. She returns to the 'country pop' genre, with a change of hairstyle and stylistic features, showing her roots while remaining unregretful of her rebellious phase, showing us in her lyrics that she chooses to embrace this time of her life rather than regretting it.

Plastic hearts (2020)

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-02 15:15:11 UTC

This album reflects on romance and explores themes surrounding modern relationships, with Miley reflecting on her recent divorce to Liam Hemsworth. Through collaborations with artists such as Billy Idol, Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, she seeks to keep herself within a multi-generational narrative, opening herself up further to the rock genre with the target of reframing her image through artistic heritage.

Early pop hits

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-02 16:55:16 UTC

The Climb (2009) was an original song written for Hannah Montana which positioned Miley as an optimistic, pure and focused "good girl" who could act as a role model for the younger generation

Party in the U.S.A. (2009) is one of Mileys top hit songs, released in 2009 as well as her Hannah Montana hit The Climb (2009), giving her the fun, commercially influenced pop star persona.

Awards and nominations

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-02 22:15:17 UTC

Brand partnerships

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 10:20:31 UTC

Mileys transition to cross-generational appeal and popularity across multiple ages has meant her business and strategic value as a brand ambassador has rocketed. Her open authenticity, advocation for social causes and her ability to constantly reinvent herself despite barriers are factors that appeal most to businesses looking to use her in marketing campaigns.

Fashion and Beauty

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 10:39:48 UTC

Mileys fashion and public look has constantly eolved and changed throughout her celebrity years. From a relaxed country look, to a rebellious and edgy style to a more sophisticated and influenced type of fashion.

Gucci ambassador role

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 10:49:12 UTC

Miley began her collaboration with Gucci in 2021, where she advertised their new Flora collections, displaying her more feminine side. She is used by Gucci to tie her open rebellious persona to their luxury goods, as a new exciting opportunity to them. It commodifies her authentic storyline and transformative history to market their products as a source of empowerment for their target audience.

Something Beautiful

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 11:08:15 UTC

In may 2025, Mileys newest album was released, accompanied by a musical film which centres itself around existential themes of healing and seeing the light side of things even when in her darkest moments. She describes it as a pop opera and concept album, featuring lesser known indie rock artists. This album reinforces her image as a self-aware star, who aspires to defy mainstream music and expectations, mixing emotions and knowledge to produce an inventive project

Recent Gucci controversy

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 11:50:38 UTC

Gucci's new 2025 campaign has stirred up the internet, with Mileys new look setting off confusion due to her 'alien' like features of inhuman skeletal frames and unusually inflated lips and inexistent eyebrows. Gucci then released the truth that it was AI generated and posted the correct photos for their campaign, displaying Miley in a regular light looking more human like.

This raises questions around the businesses ability to manage their ambassadors with their actions reflecting heavily on themselves, and as to whether there is a separation between the two. The negative response also speaks depths about beauty standards and how even if these photos were real, Miley would still have to face the scrutiny whether it was her decision or not.

It could also be seen as a loss of agency where Mileys brand focus on transformation becomes void due to the emergence of AI generated imagery and the idea that there is danger to lose control of this image in the future.

Yes To All converse campaign

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-03 12:29:10 UTC

Miley collaborated with converse for pride month in 2017, deisigning a line of colourful, glittery and patterned sneakers, naming the campaign YES TO ALL to support equality and LGBTQ+ youth visibility. This allowed her the link between politics and fashion and to demonstrate her personal brand and style as a form of self expression.

This linked to Mileys own non-profit organisation of The Happy Hippie Foundation.

Unfiltered Miley

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 10:26:36 UTC

Mileys social media presence across platforms presents a more unfiltered version of herself...she voices her opinions and presents her audience to her daily life and activities, forming a deeper connection to fans across the world.

Stars

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 13:01:48 UTC

Richard Dyer argues that star images are media constructions - Mileys choice in continued reinvention is something which shapes her public identity throughout her life in the spotlight

2024 Grammy awards

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 13:07:01 UTC

Mileys grammys for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record Of The Year marked a huge milestone in her career, securing her first Grammys at such an important stage, again showing the repositioning from her previous Disney image to her reimagined self-defining artist.

Social media is 'worse than drugs'

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 13:29:24 UTC

Here, Miley Cyrus reflects on the struggles she has faced with her high visibility on social media, creating intense pressures surrounding her star image and deeply effecting her mental health. While she uses these platforms as a form of empowerment, she also chooses to acknowledge the hardships of maintainting these social relationships with her fans

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 13:34:44 UTC

In this blog, we see the various aspects of Mileys online visibility, including her deep admiration for fans, her strategies in brand identity, use of her platform in generating charitable visiblity and frequent need to adapt to controversial events and criticisms that follow her

hsswalk4 — 2025-11-07 13:38:04 UTC

Miley has gained numerous awards and nominations throughout her career, displaying her stamina and ability to adapt through generations, consistently maintaining a place in the spotlight