The uproar is likely due to the fact that her fan base is generally younger than she is. All the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fans in my circle of family and friends are between the ages of 6 and 11. She must have older fans, but I think it's the preteens that make up the bulk. Therefore, whatever outrage these photos are generating is probably coming from the parents of young children.

As for Ms. Cyrus declaring she's not a kid, good luck with that. Hopefully she's taken a page from Mandy Moore and not Britney Spears.

Bent back over a table. Submissive. Yet aggressively, erotically dressed. And underage.

Ick.

How is this different from any other celeber-teen out there? These photos aren't any different than photo shoots from just about every other famous 16 year old for the past decade (or maybe longer).

Is that some sex thing that I haven't heard of?

I only clicked on this to see her in the hooker boots! Thanks for nothing!

It's the straightforwardness of the sexual imagery in the Elle photos that trips our cultural inappropriateness alarm. Instead of sexualizing her childlike innocence and naivete, it pictures her as a sexually-motivated and experienced teenager (similar to the apparently outrageous bed sheet photo). Miley has crossed that fine cultural line between sexy purity and sexiness that is actually sexual.

The boots don't bother me. I don't know how affluent teenagers dress in San Francisco, but those boots or variations on a thigh-high boot theme are a fairly common sight across a vast spectrum of fashionable women in New York City, including rich teenagers in my neck of the woods. (Think less "mid-life crisis," more "fashion victim.") I saw a variation on those boots in Delia's, the catalog for teenage girls. My nieces keep me current on what's stylish. What I don't like is the "Come hither" stare combined with the "Fuck me" positioning on the table. Billy Bobby is definitely upping the game in pimping out celebrity offspring.

As opposed to feeling happy that Miley Cyrus might be confident in herself, and comfortable in her sexuality.

Out of all people, T C-F, I thought you would be the last to push a sexist canard.