Miley Cyrus has said something we kind of suspected – that not all of her past relationships have been ‘straight, heterosexual’ ones – but she didn’t elaborate further. What she did say, though, was that she wants to use the attention given to the things she says and the body she likes to get out – for a wider good.
‘When you have all eyes on you, what are you saying? And that’s what I had to ask myself a lot. It’s like, I know you’re going to look at me more if my (breasts) are out, so look at me.’
Why? Well, Miley’s launching something called the Happy Hippie Foundation to help homeless and LGBT youth. Did you know that 40% of American homeless youth are LGBT? And in the UK it’s a quarter of the homeless population?
Miley wants to help them: ‘No one should have to hide who they really are, no matter what his or her name, gender or status. That’s why Happy Hippies are here to say that every life is valuable!’
The foundation starts with music – Miley will play live, stripped back music sessions called the Backyard Sessions with other artists (including Joan Jett, or trans Against Me! Singer Laura Jane Grace, or Ariana Grande, whose brother is gay).
Videos of the songs will be uploaded to Instagram and Facebook, where fans will be encouraged to donate. The funds will then be used to create digital support groups for vulnerable kids and their families.
‘The position I’m in, I feel like I’ve got a lot of power. But so many kids don’t feel that way. They’re under their parents’ rule,’ she told Out magazine.
Why this cause? Miley says ‘It’s something that we all see every single day. It’s like the birds chirping – we just ignore it because we’re so used to it. You’re looking down at your phone, but you never look at someone who’s sitting there and needs help.’
The singer, who caused a massive (ridiculous) ruckus when she chucked off the Little-Miss-America Hannah Montana image, cutting off her hair and wearing next-to-nothing on stage, also spoke of how fed up she’s been by the pressures of having to be what people think a ‘girl’ is.
‘I didn’t want to be a boy. I kind of wanted to be nothing. I don’t relate to what people would say defines a girl or a boy, and I think that’s what I had to understand. Being a girl isn’t what I hate, it’s the box that I get put into.’
Well done, Miley! Using your celebrity power for actual good instead of just some well-meaning ‘believe in yourself!’ aphorisms on Instagram is definitely A Good Thing.
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Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.