Miley Cyrus and the Picture of Dorian Gray
Earlier this week, on some ridiculous award show, people witnessed the meltdown of a 20 year old girl, Miley Cyrus. We have all seen the snippets of her pathetic performance. It wasn’t so much offensive as it was tremendously sad. I am not defending her but she must be terrified. While most people hit their maximum income earning potential in their 40’s, Miley is living her life knowing that she has already passed her expiration date before her 21 st birthday. This girl’s implicit debasement of her body put me in mind of an article by Rabbi Hyim Shafner. The Rabbi writes both a blog and a column for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Like many people who make faith their line of work, he is wise, comforting and offers a kinder and gentler look at many of the world’s ills. On Saturday, July 9, 2011 he had a column entitled, “Framing Physical Beauty in a New Light.” He postulated that physical, relational and spiritual beaut...