Dr. Leslie Weighs in on Miley's Transition

EKC client Dr. Leslie Seppinni was quoted in yesterday's Observer, regarding Miley Cyrus' challenging and very public transition from innocent tween to sultry sex symbol. Read the article to see what Dr. Leslie had to say about Miley:

Miley Cyrus gambles $1bn in switch from sweet teen to raunchy star
Hannah Montana's alter ego is growing up, in public, and it's a risky transition
Paul Harris
The Observer, Sunday 20 June 2010

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Miley Cyrus performs at the Ciudad del Rock on June 6, 2010 in Arganda del Rey, Spain. Photograph: Fotonoticias/Fotonoticias/WireImage.com

It is the hardest transformation in Hollywood: the change from beloved child star to successful adult celebrity. Now Miley Cyrus, who as her alter ego Hannah Montana has been perhaps America's biggest ever child phenomenon, is attempting to walk that road. At stake is not only Cyrus's career, but an industry built around her that has been estimated to be worth a billion dollars.

Last week showed just how difficult Cyrus might find it. Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton tweeted a paparazzi photo of Cyrus that allegedly showed her without underwear, creating a storm of controversy, not least because, with Cyrus being just 17, such a photo could be seen as child pornography. The uproar led to at least one advertiser pulling its ads off Hilton's website, despite Hilton later denying the photo had showed what was alleged. "Sure I like to be controversial, but I don't want to go to jail," he said in a video statement.

The row was embarrassing for Cyrus and her management but it showed how delicate the transformation is between child and adult fame.

Cyrus has already outgrown the Hannah Montana role that made her globally famous and the star of her own TV show when she was just 12. She has cast off the image of a hapless innocent "tween" that won over a generation of young Americans and started to pursue a more adult singing and acting career, taking on controversial film roles and sexualising her pop music.

Her once wholesome girl-next-door image has been shed for increasingly risqué outfits. She has started dating an actor, Liam Hemsworth, who is three years older than her. She starred opposite him in a recent film, The Last Song, which included long kissing scenes. Her stage shows have started to look more like a Madonna concert than that of a tween star and one-time country music favourite. Her act has included a brief pole dance and a suggestion of a lesbian kiss. She even has several tattoos. (read more...)