Miley Cyrus‘ twerk-heavy VMA performance drew criticism and laughs from many fans and bloggers who found her sexually charged performance sloppy and distasteful. The former Disney star has been hard at work shedding her previously innocent image over the past several months, spending much of her time hanging out, collaborating with hip-hop stars, and embracing strip club culture as part of her new persona.
However, the backlash against Cyrus shows just how difficult it can be for a former teen queen to make a successful transition into “grown up” music. Oftentimes, these female artists use sexed-up imagery to force audiences to recognize that they are no longer children. The old adage of “sex sells” seems to be the primary motivation, but when looking over some of the biggest teen pop stars of the last 25 years, it’s easy to see how sometimes the public still doesn’t want to buy it.
Here are a few former teen queens who tried to use sex to revamp their public image and save their musical careers…
