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.

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.