Editorial: Flesh-fest bad fit for fan-base

As if America's singing Cyrus family hadn't already committed enough crimes against music.

I was watching the box last week when Billy Ray's daughter graced the screen with the music video to her new song, We Can't Stop.

What ensued was a three-minute fifty-two second portrait of Miley Cyrus' tongue.

And this was no pukana.

A quick glance online and I found rave reviews for the video's "liberation" of young women and "celebration of freedom and sexuality".

Far be it from me to play moral arbiter. But such a licentious flesh-fest can hardly be salutary viewing for teenagers, female or otherwise.

Woodford House principal Jackie Barron hit the nail on the head this week when she warned of a Kiwi culture intent on nourishing young females' excessive drinking and early sexualisation.

She said: "As adults, we need to know how to help girls so they have greater self-belief and resilience." Bravo to you. It's heartening to know I'm not the only one intent on raining on Cyrus' virtue-less house-party.

I wasn't offended, but that's because I'm old enough to ignore trash when I step in it. I'd have no issue if the 21-year-old singer's fan-base were her age.

The trappings of digital pop-culture, with its all-consuming presence, has long since replaced print in the popular imagination of our youth.

I wish to thank the former Disney star for reminding me just how frighteningly insidious this can be.

While we may dwell in a secular, postmodern, post-stigma age, I can't help but agree with a writer (whose name I forget), who said if anything is permissible, life tends to lose all meaning.

Good call, Ms Barron.

Poor form, Ms Cyrus.