This Is Why Miley Cyrus' VMA Performance Was A Failure
What Miley Cyrus was trying to do at the VMAs vs. what Miley Cyrus actually did. A case study.
Miley Cyrus. The VMAs. Brooklyn. 2013. This is the year Miley is showing the world that she's a ~grown woman~. Sound familiar...?

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Of course it does. Clearly, Miley's inspiration for the night was none other than the queen of the VMAs herself, pop music extraordinaire and everyday legend: Miss Britney Spears.

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The following is a case study of what Miley was going for vs. what actually happened.
WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: Appear mysteriously. Britney achieved this with dramatic music and a giant spider-looking thing that turned around to reveal her literal "not so innocent" self.

WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: Miley came out of a monkey's chest.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: She was trying to have her "I'm a grown woman!" moment. Britney achieved this with a sexy and sparkly striptease. She also wore a fedora and one of those cordless pop music microphones.

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OMG! So cutting edge.

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THAT THONG. So unexpected.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: She danced around with a bunch of oversized stuffed animals and unenthused pink bears.

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She fist-pumped and screamed.

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And had a stuffed animal rub her back.

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Then her clothes came off and she took out a large finger with a big red nail.

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Hmmmm.
WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: Get into the zone and really have a moment with herself. Britney achieved this by dancing her ass off. She also had crimped hair.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: Scream with an oversized finger with a big red nail.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: Stripper chic.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: Rub a finger that had a huge red nail in her crotch.

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And she stuck her tongue out a lot.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: Make sexy, sophisticated, yet raunchy faces.

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Britney achieved this because she's a flawless and iconic human being.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: Point a large fake finger at Robin Thicke.

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The fake finger was also used as a faux penis.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS WAS TRYING TO DO: Steal the show.

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WHAT MILEY CYRUS ACTUALLY DID: Make pink bears sad.

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See:

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Basically, I think you get the point. This is how you do a coming-of-age performance:

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And this is how you don't:

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DO NOT TRY TO BE THE QUEEN.

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It will only end in disappointment and failure.

Getty Images/ Hulton Archive/ Scott Gries