How do you solve a problem like Miley Cyrus?\nOnce known only for lip-syncing wholeheartedly to adolescents worldwide, this pop princess recently garnered attention for far more than her hit Disney show. Several juicy scandals - such as dating a 20-year-old underwear model or posting racy internet photos to be enjoyed only by creepy old men - have failed to dent Miley's popularity. On the contrary, these incidents have boosted her to teeny-bopper stardom.\nIn her latest scramble for the limelight, the Disney diva flaunted some serious pole-dancing skills during a performance at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Yes, dear readers, you read that right. Sure, she spared us the grinding and upside-down turns, but still, the point was made. And as children's eyes were covered before television sets across the country, parents wondered how their offspring could have been led to adore this teenage travesty.\nBut let's think about it: Is this behavior altogether abnormal? We have, after all, watched celeb after celeb clamber clumsily through the awkwardness that is young adulthood. We pitied Christina when she dyed her hair black and added "dirrty" to her own personal dictionary. We cringed when Britney somehow staggered onto the set of "Crossroads" and convinced us that she was neither girl nor woman. And even more recently, we sympathized with Vanessa Hudgens as she learned the value of ... well, clothes. In fact, it seems that just about every adolescent girl in Hollywood has erred in one way or another. And Miley, my friends, is certainly no exception.\nWhen you really put some thought into it, doesn't every girl - celeb or not - trip a little on the rocky path to womanhood? We have all, at some point or another, had that awkward in-between phase of magnified self-consciousness and unfortunate fashion choices. Don't act like you didn't wear that oh-so-short miniskirt to ninth grade homeroom when your mom told you not to. Don't forget that prom date you asked out only because your friends told you to, and don't deny accidentally dying your hair orange in a freak at-home-styling accident. And don't pretend you didn't go to that under-18 club and dance on the caged walls because it made you look cool. Oh wait, you didn't do that? Yeah, me neither.\nWhat I mean to say is this: Just because a celebrity's errors are reported hourly by tabloids and E! News doesn't mean her mistakes are any worse than yours. So please, don't be mad at Miley for making the same mistakes you made when you were 16. We all wanted to grow up a little too fast.\nWe've seen this before and we will most definitely see it again. So you know what? Maybe Miley Cyrus is not the antichrist. And maybe she isn't even a problem. Maybe there's nothing to solve after all. Maybe Miley's just a confused little pop-singing caterpillar trying to find her cocoon, so that she can transform into a beautiful - and er, pole-dancing - butterfly. And you know what else? Maybe - just maybe - instead of fearing that 10-year-old Hannah Montana devotees will learn to mimic her idol's sexy dance moves, we should teach them to be leaders, not followers. And every time we want to scathe Miley for not retaining her once squeaky-clean image, we should instead demonstrate the importance of remaining true to oneself.\nSo for heaven's sake, you haters, let Miley sing her country-pop in peace. And to the rest of you, wear your "I HEART M.C." badges with pride. Enjoy the synchronized tones of that nasally voice. Applaud her brash and ill-chosen decisions. And even do a little pole dance if you're feeling crazy - after all, everyone needs to let out their inner 16-year-old once in a while.\nLauren's column runs biweekly Thursdays. She can be reached atl.kimmel@cavalierdaily.com.
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