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At just thirteen years old, Miley Cyrus became a national superstar as the lead actress in Disney’s wildly popular Hannah Montana series. Even after leaving the show and launching a career as a pop singer, Miley struggled with pressure from young fans and families who refused to let the starlette grow up and shed her squeaky clean image. As a young woman coming of age in the spotlight, Cyrus received frequent criticism for her wild and rebellious antics.
While it’s true she may have landed in more trouble than your average teen – such as smoking a salvia bong, “pole dancing” at the Teen Choice awards, posing for nude photos and twerking on Robin Thicke at the MTV VMAs – it’s important to also note Miley’s accomplishments and the ways in which she remains a positive role model for her fans. After all, isn’t being a humanitarian, activist and decent human being ultimately much more important than covering your nipples?
Check out five ways Miley Cyrus proves she’s got more substance than the twerking and duck faces might lead you to believe.
At just sixteen years old, Miley took a strong stance in favor of marriage equality. She has publicly defended LGBTQ rights and denounced politicians, companies and public figures that make prejudicial or ignorant statements. The starlette openly expresses her gender fluidity and believes all people deserve acceptance and love. She even got an equality sign tattooed on her ring finger, tweeting out the image with the caption: “All LOVE is equal.” According to Advocate.com, Cyrus has also donated $500,000 to amfAR for AIDS research.
Miley Cyrus created a non-profit organization, the Happy Hippie Foundation, to draw awareness and raise funds to fight injustices faced by homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, a disproportionate amount of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ (up to 40 percent of the population). These individuals may struggle with social stigma and rejection from their families on top of the challenges faced by any homeless person.
Miley’s love for her pets inspired her to adopt a strictly vegan diet in 2014. She sometimes shares photos of delicious green, plant-based dishes on Instagram and preaches a lifestyle that respects animals. Beyond just her food choices, Miley Cyrus supports pet adoption and even helped bae Liam Hemsworth find a sweet rescue dog.
Vegan dinnnna post werk! Eat mo love!!! ❤️
A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on
Her collaboration with Marc Jacobs and Marilyn Minter supports women’s health organization, Planned Parenthood. Miley posed for two limited edition t-shirts: “Miley Hearts Planned Parenthood” and “Pro Choice Miley.” One hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards supporting women’s reproductive rights and ensuring access to the dozens of other healthcare services provided by the organization, such as breast cancer screenings, pap tests, birth control consultations and healthcare education programs.
Miley Cyrus cares about the environment and reducing her ecological impact. Artist Marilyn Minter told W Magazine that Cyrus books commercials flights, rather than using private aircrafts like many celebrities, to reduce her carbon footprint. In 2009, she released an eco pop song in collaboration with fellow Disney stars, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers as part of the “Friends for Change: Project Green” initiative. The proceeds from the song’s sale on iTunes benefitted the Worldwide Conservation Fund.
She has also protested the culling of British Columbia’s wolf population, asking her fans to speak up as well. As a result of the traffic surge from Cyrus’s plea, the Pacific Wild, an organization petitioning the wolf culling policy, experienced a website crash along with countless new signatures. It’s clear her voice inspires and empowers fans to take action.
