CULTURE

The Wrath of Woman: 2023 Is For Breakup Anthems

The Stories Behind Miley Cyrus and Shakira’s Breakup Anthems

Miley Cyrus 'Flowers'

via Miley Cyrus / Youtube

When Angela Bassett set the car on fire in Waiting to Exhale. When Aubrey Plaza spirals for a full episode after finding the condom wrapper in White Lotus. When Rosamund Pike fakes her death, frames her husband — Ben Affleck — for murder, and disappears completely after discovering his affair with EmRata in Gone Girl. Chefs kiss to all of it. Because one thing about me? I love the wrath of women.

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Updated 1/13/23


Ladies and gentlemen, She's Back. Miley Cyrus has returned to music with her single "Flowers" as a present for her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth on his birthday. As Liam celebrates his 33rd, Miley will probably celebrate with 33 million+ streams.

The song samples Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man", which Liam allegedly dedicated to Miley at their wedding. Miley's song appears to be a direct response...where Bruno says "I should've bought you flowers/and held your hand", Miley rebuttals with "I can by myself flowers/I can hold my own hand."

We are officially in Miley's single, self-love era and I, for one, am here for it. Watch the music video here:




Leading up to the New Year, posters and billboards popped up all over town. Phrases like “she’s coming” and “I can love me better than you can” adorned the sides of buildings…A sign from Columbia Records that something big is coming: rock goddess and former Disney sensation Miley Cyrus is back.

After the 2020 release of the Plastic Hearts, fans have been eagerly anticipating her return to music and…the tour. Since the album, Cyrus has finalized her divorce from Liam Hemsworth, hosted multiple New Year’s Rockin’ Eves, and been the face of Gucci campaigns galore. She’s amped look after look, but the one thing we’ve been missing is…the album.

On January 13, Smiley will release “Flowers” the first single from her upcoming album, Endless Summer Vacation – the same day as…her ex-husband’s birthday. Absolute badass-girlboss behavior. According to promo posters, self-loving lyrics include digs like “I can buy myself flowers.” “I can take myself dancing.” and “I can hold my own hand.”



In a leaked mood board for Cyrus’ album, it’s rumored that collabs like Harry Styles, Rosalia, Billie Eilish and Finneas have been mentioned. In her new music video, Miley, Selena Gomez, and Paris Hilton are also expected to recreate the 2006 iconic shot of Paris, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan.



The album, set to release on March 10, will be our album of the summer. Cyrus’ powerhouse vocals and edgy sound is our generation’s version of Stevie Nicks…so it’s safe to say we’re all totally thrilled about what’s sure to be her legendary comeback.

MUSIC

These Famous Stars Hate Their Own Music

Jimmy Page isn't the only one who found his old songs cringe-worthy.

Miley Cyrus - Party In The U.S.A. (Official Video)

Legendary rocker Jimmy Page has had a lot to say over the years regarding Led Zeppelin's smash hit "Stairway to Heaven."

In 1988, the rocker told The New York Times that he'd "break out in hives" if he had to perform the song. Page has calmed down since then, but still confirmed to UCR yesterday that he simply "couldn't relate to the track anymore."

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CULTURE

Miley Cyrus Is Not a Queer Icon: Do Better

"I always thought I had to be gay, because I thought all guys were evil, but it's not true."

Miley Cyrus

Kobby Dagan

For those still celebrating Miley Cyrus as a queer icon, may we invite you to take a moment to reconsider.

Yes, she came out as pansexual and genderfluid in 2015, soon proving herself to be an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community by founding Happy Hippie foundation for homeless queer youth. Then, after ending her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, Cyrus briefly dated reality TV star Kaitlynn Carter before moving on to Cody Simpson, with whom she did an Instagram live on Sunday. Here's where things got...dicey, to say the least.

In the midst of the livestream, Cyrus stated, "There are good men out there, guys, don't give up. You don't have to be gay, there are good people with dicks out there, you've just got to find them," She said, while Simpson laughed. "You've got to find a dick that's not a dick, you know? I always thought I had to be gay, because I thought all guys were evil, but it's not true. There are good people out there that just happen to have dicks. I've only ever met one, and he's on this live."

Oof. Miley, honey, it's 2019! Twitter, of course, immediately popped the f*ck off.

Soon, Cyrus wielded a powerful, often misused celebrity weapon: the notes app apology.

So. There's a lot of toxicity to unpack here. Let's start with the easy part: Cyrus' implication that the only good man she has ever met is Cody Simpson. *Cue her father, brothers, and Liam Hemsworth giving the camera a long, Jim Halpert-esque look.* Misandry aside, Cyrus implied that 1.) Being queer is a choice. 2.) Dating men is always preferable to dating women, even if you're queer. 3.) Cyrus herself chose to date women because of a distrust for men, not necessarily an attraction to women. None of these things were addressed in her apology; in fact, she didn't even bother to claim that she misspoke or that it was meant as a joke. All she really did was re-enforce that men are sh*tty.

To be clear, for anyone still living in 1950, being queer is not a choice, dating within the LGBTQ+ community is not an exciting and temporary foray into counter-culture on your way to a heterosexual relationship, dating men as a bisexual/pansexual woman is not somehow inherently preferable to dating women, and you don't get to call yourself queer just because you find men annoying sometimes. Being queer is defined by being attracted to genders other than the opposite gender to your own, and again, it is NEVER a choice. Just a little bit louder for those of you in the back: BEING QUEER IS NEVER A CHOICE.

If you still aren't sure, here's some science for you: A 2019 study by Andrea Ganna, lead author and European Molecular Biology Laboratory group leader at the Institute of Molecular Medicine in Finland, said that while her study did not find a "gay gene," it revealed "there are a number of genetic variations that can influence sexual behavior." Essentially, the research reinforces that queerness is simply "a natural part of our diversity as a species." That means that women being attracted to women is not simply a matter of thinking "all guys were evil" and so resorting to women—it's a matter of bonafide, biological sexual attraction.

Please do better, Miley.

Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and Lana Del Rey just dropped their new video for "Don't Call Me Angel," and how you feel about it will differ depending on what kind of fan you are.

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CULTURE

Miley Cyrus Is Doing Just Fine, Thank You

What's a millennial role model, anyway?

Miley Cyrus BottleRock Napa Valley Music Festival 2021

Photo by London Entertainment/Shutterstock

Miley Cyrus is doing quite well, thank you very much.

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