By STEPHANIE SCRAFANO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Miley Cyrus twerked her way to internet infamy after she performed at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Scantily clad in nude latex, Miley showcased some overtly sexual dance moves on Robin Thicke during their duet performance of his song “Blurred Lines.” Much of the talk about Miley after her VMA performance was negative, but it caused the public to take an interest in her that had not even been seen during her days as Hannah Montana. Plenty of people believe that she seems to have “gone crazy,” but others claim that there might be a method to her latest madness. Seconds into her VMA performance, Miley’s name was trending on Twitter. It continued to trend for days, and stories about her popped up on various entertainment news outlets.
Her Twitter activity rose 112 percent from the week before, she added over 200,000 fans on Facebook and her latest single “Wrecking Ball” broke the record for most viewed video on Vevo within 24 hours. Miley’s performance not only revived her name, it caused a media frenzy surrounding her. She left her Disney reputation in the dust and rebranded herself in a way that made her relevant to more than just her dedicated fan base.
Using shock value as a revolutionary branding tactic is working for Miley right now, and her current fame is at an all-time high. This high, however, will certainly falter in time.
Some think that this will permanently affect her personal life and public image. “It’s giving her plenty of attention, but not good attention,” Aya Itani, FCRH ’16, said. “She gets more criticism than compliments.”
The criticism that Miley has received has been vast. Her VMA performance even triggered a variety of complaints to the Federal Communications Commissions, despite the fact that the FCC can only control broadcast television and not cable networks like MTV. Many people found her performance extremely offensive, from her manic moves to her veiled drug references. Some compared her to Britney Spears circa 2007 — a young, wholesome starlet gone rogue.
Shocking the public may be getting Miley plenty of attention now, but it will not give her staying power. Once the public moves past this Disney star gone wild, she will again find herself struggling for relevance in the public eye.
The bottom line is that using shock value as a branding tactic works for a quick jolt of attention, but it offers no sense of permanence. The public loves a good scandal, but only until another, more interesting one comes along. The previous is then forgotten.
It seems that Miley will be next in the line of young stars who reach the peak of their fame with scandal and then make a “comeback from crazy” as their next big move. Miley should be wary of this; the public enjoys a scandal mores than a comeback. Lindsay Lohan’s first post-rehab interview with Oprah drew fewer than a million viewers.
Despite the interest once vested in her, people seem to care less about Lindsay and more about the latest crazed celebrities: Amanda Bynes and, of course, Miley Cyrus.
In time, we will see whether or not Miley’s twerking has been successful in her attempt to rebrand herself. If she knows what is best for her image, she can (and hopefully will) stop.
Stephanie Scrafano, FCRH’16, is a communications and media studies major form Lodi, N.J.