Why Miley is my Queen

1. She has great music:

Man, that girl can hit the notes! I've always thought her music was super fun––Party in the USA was my jam in '09––but her new album truly blows my mind. Not only are the vocals outstanding, but it's one of the most diverse albums I've ever heard. The songs pull from an eclectic range of musical influences. You can hear pop, country, hip-hop, jazz, and so many other genres coming together in one album. She's broken free from the all-sounds-identical route that pop-music has been traveling down lately.

2. She's funny:

Nothing shows that she's okay poking fun at herself more than the fact that she enters her Bangerz tour shows on a giant slide version of her tongue. Clearly, she embraces all of her quirks. One of the best parts of the show had to be when the little person was dressed up as a joint; it showed that both she and the dancer have senses of humor and that they are not uptight.

3. She's expressing herself:

I've heard countless people say that Miley is trying to sexualize herself for the media, but they are flat out wrong. Miley is not sexually objectifying herself; she's just expressing her sexuality. Not many women do that, and I think it's kind of fantastic. When people were getting all uptight because she touched her crotch with a foam finger, I was just thinking, "have any of you people ever seen a rapper perform?" How is it okay for men to grab their crotches willy nilly, but the moment a women references her sexuality, all hell breaks loose? Miley doesn't conform to cultural norms; she is a symbol of female freedom of expression. 

4. She puts on a great show: 

The Bangerz tour has everything: gigantic blow-up dogs, crazy cartoon videos, huge birds, hot dogs, cars, people in animal costumes. But even with such a busy set, Miley manages to hold to attention of the audience. She's got great stage presence; perhaps it's partially because she's always doing something shocking, but it's mostly to do with the fact that she's having fun and she's comfortable in her own skin.

5. She's changing what "beauty" means:

Miley is going against everything the media tries to drill into our brains. She is writing a new definition of "beauty" in front of the entire world. Beauty doesn't have to mean long hair, big boobs, and a big ass. The performers on the Bangerz Tour are people of all shapes and sizes: tall women with huge butts, little people, jacked girls, skinny girls, muscular men, chubby men. Together with these performers, she is teaching us to see beauty and worth in people that don't fit into the tight box that is our societal ideal.

Why Schools Ruin Reading

If someone said to you, "I don't like games," you'd probably be pretty skeptical. There are so many different types of games that it seems illogical for someone not to like any of them. The same thing goes for books. The only difference is that no one has ever told me they don't like playing games and that people frequently tell me they don't like reading.

The problem here lies in the education system. The books that kids are forced to read in high school turn teenagers off of reading. The novels that are read in english class are generally quite dry, slow, and full of unlikeable and/or boring characters. As someone who loves reading and writing, I see value in these books because of the influence they have had on other writers and because they often have significant historical meaning. But kids who already lean towards watching TV or playing video games over reading, can shine no positive light on these books. And I don't blame them.

I feel like schools have this crazy notion that the only options are these dry but "important for everyone to read in their life" novels or completely commercial books with absolutely zero depth. But there are so many other options. There are countless books that have important messages, use literary devices effectively, and are appealing to modern-day teenagers. We need books that teenagers can relate to! We need characters that they care about, that they are eager to see through to the end!

I'm not suggesting a completely change in the current selection of books that schools use. Not every book read in class needs to engage every student. But we do need to have some variety. High school is where we're supposed to try a whole bunch of subjects to help us figure out what we like. Schools should treat books in the same way. If students are given a taste of all sorts of books, they will be able to actually find the kind that they enjoy.

I'm worried that if students keep having to read these books, the number of people who "hate reading" is just going to increase. The more of the same, boring books students have to read, the more teenagers are going to assume they hate books in general.

I was thinking about music

Give yourself to music. It is so powerful. You don't have to be a singer or a musician to taste the notes on your tongue or feel the melody twitching your muscles. Be picky with the music you like. Find stuff that physically changes you. Listen to music that puts a smile on your face even when your in the worst mood. Listen to music that gives you philosophical revelations. Listen to music that makes you want to shake your booty like no one's watching, or like someone special is. Listen to music that is so beautifully tragic that you tear up every time you hear it. Never be afraid to feel. Emotion is the most wonderful thing in this world. It is at the very core of what makes us human. Let yourself cry when you're upset. Let yourself scream when you're mad. But more than anything, let yourself laugh when you're happy. Laugh louder than everyone else. Laugh so loudly that just the very sight of you laughing sends others into a spur of giggles. Dance when you want to dance. Remember that you are just as powerful as even the most powerful music. Use your power for good.