Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Vanity Fair's Miley Cyrus Near-Topless Photos Should Trouble American Parents

Fifteen-year-old Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus is virtually topless on the cover of Vanity Fair . Disney blames the magazine, the magazine says that her parents and minders were there throughout the Annie Leibowitz photo shoot. But it doesn't much matter who is at fault. This is a major wake-up call to American parents. Young girls are being sexualized at an increasingly early age. It was bad enough that Britney Spears started showing off her body when she was nineteen. But Miley is 15. How much younger will it go? A few years ago, Time magazine reported that 40% of American high school girls wear thongs to school, a great many with the underwear strap showing above their jeans. Our daughters need to be protected from sexual exploitation. They need to hear that they have a brain and not just a bust. A strong message must be sent both to Vanity Fair and Disney that the sexual exploitation of a young girl for commercial profit is unacceptable and will not be tolerated by American parents ... [link]