I cannot believe that MTV let this performance be a part of its VMA lineup.

And the fact that they did sends an important message about female sexuality today. Let’s all put our clothes on, grab a cup of coffee, take a deep breath, and have an honest talk with ourselves about the direction in which our moral compass is pointing.

When I watched this portion of the VMA performances last night with my mother, we were both appalled and disgusted that this would occur on national television. I felt embarrassed for Miley (and her followers!). I felt sad that kids who used to watch Miley on Disney watched her gesture and dance in repulsive ways.

I have always admired classy male and female artists for having some sort of standards in terms of nudity and provocative behavior—I thought Miley Cyrus was one of these artists, but that is evidently not the case.

But the performance, if anything, was thought provoking. If anything, I guess it took a performance full of giant twerking teddy bears, Miley Cyrus licking Robin Thicke, and the use of a foam finger that doubled as a penis to get me to realize the status of femininity in young girls today.

The fact that Miley Cyrus’s pelvic region also doubled as a guitar was particularly thought provoking. The fact that she screamed like a banshee and gyrated thousands of times really drilled into my head the thought about today’s girls and their ideas about femininity, sex and how they display those things in public.

It was raunchy. It was ugly. And I am sure that, on the inside, Robin Thicke’s wife did not like watching a 21 year old girl/woman grind on and lick her husband. Miley Cyrus’s dad is probably crying right now.

And, an otherwise catchy pop song turned into a symbol of a blatant effort to assert rebelliousness, sexuality, and “freedom.”

I hope and pray that girls know that this type of behavior isn’t okay. 

And this type of behavior is Miley’s own fault; she could have said no. There are no Blurred Lines here. It was trashy, not sexy. It was a call for help and a cry for attention, not a display of strength.

Impressionable teenagers and young girls everywhere [and boys!] need to know that in order to be successful or talented, you do not have to show the world how well you can shake your ass, how vulgar you can be, or how wild you are when you party.

You don’t even have to party. You don’t need to drink. And you shouldn’t hit on older men–or any man–just because you can.

Girls, don’t show your boobs to boys at parties. Boys, don’t approve of girls who are acting irresponsibly.

Girls, don’t wear shorts or crop tops that show the world your inner sanctum. Boys, don’t tell girls that you like these clothes. Let’s all act like adults who respect each other.

Let’s respect ourselves and be…classy.

The men and women we should be respecting are those who are talented performers with a set of irremovable standards. We should respect and be proud of those who are sexy, beautiful and talented in their own distinct manner.

We should applaud those who have a personality that is set in stone. The phase Miley Cyrus is going through should be a personal journey…not one that is traceable on public television.

We need to stop and reevaluate what is okay in terms of nudity, behavior, and language in our social media, TV, music, and literature.

While I am highly opposed to censorship, there is a difference between what we hide from the readership and viewership and what we allow to be popular within the canon.

We can stop this and we will stop this.

Girls, put your clothes on and stop twerking. Please!

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Ed: Bryonie Wise