Wrecking Pug (Ball)

Why are you looking at a picture of a pug that’s dressed as a ball with a naked Barbie strapped to it? Well, let’s see!

Tottie, a pug from Wisconsin won her owner $25,000 with this costume in a contest. Why is this costume worth $25,000? Because the costume is a mockery of Miley Cyrus’s costume in her music video Wrecking ball—her naked body.

Miley Cyrus is a popular celebrity in US culture.  Unfortunately, Miley is more known today for her body and twerking abilities than her great career as Hannah Montana or her music.  Sure, she’s naked but she’s much more than that. Although I don’t completely appreciate a naked music video, to me, Miley is a strong individual, she’s breaking norms and challenging what is socially defined to be OK. She’s emphasizing the control that she has over her body, how she has choices and that she’s just as able as a man to be naked and strut her stuff. Ideally, it’s not OK in our society for a White female celebrity to cut her hair short and shake her butt.

Gloria Steinem comments, “. . .given the game as it exists, women make decisions . . .[and] that’s the way the culture is. I think that we need to change the culture, not blame the people that are playing the only game that exists”.

That’s why you’re looking at this viral picture.  Because dressing up a pug in mockery of Miley’s music video shows how society looks down upon a female for breaking and challenging what is socially acceptable. Within the culture, we blame the people who play this game and always shun them for it. 

Sources: http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/this-pug-dressed-as-miley-cyruss-wrecking-ball-is-the-best-c

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/14/gloria-steinem-miley-

cyrus_n_4097006.html

(week 6)