Within the past week, we saw Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson represent two opposite sides of the millennial spectrum.

On one side, there’s Cyrus, who sparked outrage on Sept. 16 when her backup dancers spanked her artificially inflated butt with a Mexican flag.  And on the other side, there’s Watson, the United Nation’s Women’s Global Goodwill Ambassador.  Watson gave a speech on gender equality and feminism this weekend, explaining that being a feminist does not necessarily mean being anti-male.  

These two celebrities exemplify the positive and the negative characteristics of our generation.  When it comes to choosing sides, millennials should stray away from embodying characteristics exemplified by Cyrus’ recent performance, and instead focus on leaning towards Watson’s side of the spectrum.

Since numerous news outlets already tend to stress the negative stereotypes many millennials are held to, Cyrus’ latest actions further taint our generation’s image.

During Cyrus’ performance — which was on Mexico’s Independence Day — she showed extreme disrespect toward an entire country, population and culture when she decided to use a flag as one of her controversial props.  On the other hand, Watson exemplified extreme professionalism and grace when she spoke during her speech for the HeForShe campaign.

As Cyrus angered many, Watson received overwhelming praise. Watson explained how it is extremely important for men to participate in gender equality as well.  Watson then proceeded to extend a “formal invitation” to men everywhere, noting that “gender equality is (their) issue too.”

Those who see nothing wrong with Cyrus’ flag performance are only fueling the negative perspectives many people already have of millennials. While other generations describe millennials as disrespectful, Cyrus’ performance only gives them more reasons to do so.

According to a Monday CNN article, Mexican State Rep. Francisco Treviño spoke out about the pop star’s performance and said that he felt “truly offended and annoyed by the fact that a foreign artist feels like she can come here and make fun of and mock (Mexico’s) national flag on Independence Day.”  

While Cyrus’ twerking and flag combination shocks and angers, Watson’s wise words inspire and motivate. And while one national leader condemned Cyrus’ actions, other national leaders applauded Watson for her speech. Watson’s speech in which she demanded there be action taken in the HeForShe campaign, asking “if not me, who? If not now, when?” is a sharp contrast to Cyrus’ complete disregard for a national symbol.
Watson’s influential speech pushes millennials to strive for an equal and fair representation of the sexes. Cyrus’ actions detract from the positive aspects of our generation. Instead of looking up to someone who blatantly disrespected an entire population and its culture, millennials should discourage Cyrus’ characteristics and move towards the side of the millennial spectrum that Watson exemplifies.

Tamara Rasamny is an international relations and newspaper and online journalism dual major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at twrasamn@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @Tam_Rasamny.

Published on September 24, 2014 at 12:52 am