'It was one of the most degrading things I've ever done': Miley Cyrus' back-up dancer reveals she was left 'shaking and crying' after controversial VMA performance
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Whether she was stripping to her underwear or twerking with giant teddy bears, Miley Cyrus left many in shock after her performance at the VMA's in August.
But it seems no one was more shocked than one of her very own back-up dancers.
Los Angeles-based performer Hollis Jane, who refers to herself as a little person, revealed on her blog: 'I was a bear in Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance and. . . for the first time I felt truly ashamed of being a little person.
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Los Angeles-based performer Hollis Jane, who refers to herself as a little person, revealed on her blog: 'I was a bear in Miley Cyrus¿ VMA performance and. . . for the first time I felt truly ashamed of being a little person
'I will be the first one to tell you that
standing on that stage, in that costume was one of the most degrading
things I felt like I could ever do,' she said, singling out another offense to add to Miss Cyrus' recent controversies --
one based on size.
Miss Jane, who has been attempting to be a professional actress for the past three years, said that when she was asked to audition for the signer's tour, she was 'incredibly hesitant'.
'The money was great and I would have gotten a free trip to Las Vegas,' she admitted. 'My computer had recently broken and my car needed (and still needs) multiple repairs. I could have fixed a lot of that with the Miley money. So, I sent in my audition tape.'
But it was only after she was accepted for the job that she realized she was going to be put into a bear costume.
'When I did the VMAs. . . we were being used simply because we were little,' she said. 'It felt like society still saw us as a joke, despite the fact there is nothing different about me other than the fact I am small'
'Standing on that stage, in that costume was one of the most degrading things I felt like I could ever do,' she said, singling out another offense to add to Miss Cyrus' recent controversies -- one based on size
'I had never been in a performance where I was purely meant to be gawked or laughed at. I will never forget that performance because it is what forced me to draw my personal line in the sand,' she said.
'After our first dress rehearsal in the
costumes with the crew, publicists, performers etc watching us, I walked
out of the Barclay Center shaking and crying.
'I love being the center of attention, but that was something different. I was being stared and laughed at for all of the wrong reasons. I was being looked at as a prop…as something less than human.'
Whether she was stripping to her underwear or twerking with giant teddy bears, Miley Cyrus left many in shock after her performance at the VMA's in August
She goes on to explain that for 'decades little people have not been taken seriously'. And as an actress, she revealed she is given 'two per cent of the “real” auditions' that many other 'average-sized' actresses get.
'The longer little people agree to be used as shock value, the longer it is going to take for us to be taken seriously,' she said, adding that Miss Cyrus' choice to have someone of her stature in a bear costume only perpetuated the stigma.
'When I did the VMAs. . . we were being used simply because we were little. It felt like society still saw us as a joke, despite the fact there is literally nothing different about me other than the fact I am small.'
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Seeing the pictures of this performance just turns my stomach. It was weird and nasty and there was nothing artistic or uplifting or pleasant about the whole mess. That girl should have walked away. But she has to make a living.
Does anybody really care what she thinks? BTW she look really weird in that one face shot. Just sayin...
She must've really needed the cash. If it was beneath you, then don't sing backup for the self-indulged, narcissistic little brat.
........... but you rehearsed it and got paid for it ............!! You knew what you were doing ............
she would have had quite a few rehearsals so she would have had quite a bit of time to decide it wasn't for her but she chose to do it!
Better to be dressed as a bear than be prancing around in your underwear. The backup dancers had the better costumes.
The way Miley is using little people because they are little is nasty, and the person most abused by it is the small, blonde young woman who dances as herself, without any disguise. She is a good dancer, but I'm sure that wasn't why she was chosen. But rather than one person to say she felt abused, why don't litlte people just stop appearing with her? You'll lose some money, yes, but surely the indignity isn't worth the money. I realise that Hollis did it because she was desperate for the fee, and I hope that now she's said how difficult it was for her she'll be able to put the episode behind her (and maybe find another agent since her current one must be very insensitive).
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kristabell, Aus, 8 hours ago
Never gonna work in this industry again. Idiot