Miley proves nobody's perfect...again and again

Heartsick. That's the only word I can think of to describe how I feel about the Vanity Fair picture scandal involving Miley Cyrus. Add to it another scandal that surfaced the web last week involving candid shots of her exposing her lacy bra. I refrained from blogging about the latter photos when they came out last week due to the fact that it was rumored to be a Miley look-alike and I was unable to confirm if they were in fact, Miley. But alas, she came clean on Sunday in a statement to People.com where she issued an apology to her fans for the provocative photos that surfaced on the web last week as well as the photos from the Vanity Fair shoot that had at the time, not yet been released.

"My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy. For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie [Leibovitz]. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed."

A source close to the singer tells PEOPLE that Cyrus is clothed but shown by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz in such a way that that the teen appears to be topless.

In the photos that circulated on the Internet, Cyrus, her midriff exposed, is shown draped over the lap of her then-boyfriend, her producer's son. In another image, a hint of a green bra is evident.

Miley, Miley, Miley. Oh darlin', we were holding our breath hoping you would not succumb to the pressures to, well, behave like the average teen girl in America. Am I the only one who thinks that Disney should seriously think about retiring these stars when they turn 14? And while I am certainly disappointed in Miley's lack of discretion, I am mortified that the adults surrounding her didn't step in and call a halt to the nonsense. According to People.com, Cyrus's parents, including father Billy Ray, were at the shoot, however they left before the final photo was shot. The article states that Cyrus's grandmother and teacher were still present at that time. Photographer Annie Leibovitz defends the photos as "simple" and "beautiful," and says she's "sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted."

Not that we should be surprised about Ms. Leibovitz' clear lack of judgment. Her Wikipedia bio states that "Her work often has strong sexual overtones." Shame on you, Ms. Leibovitz, for taking what appears to most to be a topless photo of a 15 year-old girl and calling it "artistic." I bet pedophiles won't be using the word "artistic" when they see the picture. As a mother with young daughters, you should be devoted to protecting young women from the rampant sexualization that has become all too common, not encouraging it. And shame on Vanity Fair for publishing the photos. Whatever it takes to sell more magazines, I guess. Never mind that the girl is 15 years old and the world is run amok with pedophiles who get their jollies looking at pictures like this.

And as a side note, I hope and pray that Miley's parents are paying close attention to the public outcry. Miley's tremendous popularity is (was?) directly related to her innocent and wholesome appeal, especially at a time when few stars seem to possess this quality. If her fan base perceives that this quality has expired and she is now headed down a similar path as other child stars who have gone before her (Vanessa Hudgens, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Simpson, etc...), it could very well become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If she needs reining in, now is the time when she's still under their roof and authority EVEN if it means putting the brakes on her career. For a Christian family, the focus shouldn't be about the money, level of fame, or redeeming her career--it should be about developing her Christian character and ultimately performing for an audience of One.

We shouldn't be surprised when celebrities slip up and make mistakes in the public eye. If you watch long enough and closely enough, they will all disappoint. The same would be true for each of us if we lived our lives under a microscope and the public scrutinized our every word and deed. In the meantime, what do parents tell their young daughters? For starters, we tell them that this is the very reason God cautioned us not to have any other gods before Him. Then, we tell them that Miley made some very poor choices that she has apologized to her fans for those choices. Next, we remind them that Miley is a Christian and that the Bible says that God separates our sins as far as the East is from the West. We also remind them that we too, are called to forgive. Finally, we explain that even though Miley is forgiven, she will experience consequences for her actions. Which in this case could translate into a tarnished career, especially if it's riding on the support of a young, impressionable fan base dependent on Mom and Dad opening their wallets. And Mom and Dad may very well be growing weary of having the poor role model discussion with their children. Again and again.