Sinead O’Connor’s Remarkable Open Letter To Miley Cyrus

Upon hearing that Miley Cyrus had cited her as an influence, Sinead O’Connor was compelled to reach out to the younger pop star in an open letter. O’Connor, no stranger to controversy, the pitfalls of stardom, or the dark and manipulative side of the music industry, has taken the opportunity to warn Cyrus not to let herself be exploited. O’Connor slams in particular the “Wrecking Ball” video, in which Cyrus appears nude, licking a sledgehammer and riding an actual wrecking ball. We can’t pretend to be impartial here, it is a disturbing and debasing clip. We’ll let O’Connor take it from here (h/t to our friends at Vanyaland):

OPEN LETTER TO MILEY CYRUS

Dear Miley,

I wasn’t going to write this letter, but today i’ve been dodging phone calls from various newspapers who wished me to remark upon your having said in Rolling Stone your Wrecking Ball video was designed to be similar to the one for Nothing Compares… So this is what I need to say… And it is said in the spirit of motherliness and with love.

I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way ‘cool’ to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping.

Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent.

I am happy to hear I am somewhat of a role model for you and I hope that because of that you will pay close attention to what I am telling you.

The music business doesn’t give a shit about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted.. and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, ‘they’ will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone.

None of the men oggling you give a shit about you either, do not be fooled. Many’s the woman mistook lust for love. If they want you sexually that doesn’t mean they give a fuck about you. All the more true when you unwittingly give the impression you don’t give much of a fuck about yourself. And when you employ people who give the impression they don’t give much of a fuck about you either. No one who cares about you could support your being pimped.. and that includes you yourself.

Yes, I’m suggesting you don’t care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. This is a dangerous world. We don’t encourage our daughters to walk around naked in it because it makes them pray [sic] for animals and less than animals (a distressing majority of whom work in the music industry and the associated media).

You are worth more than your body or your sexual appeal. The world of showbiz doesn’t see things that way, they like things to be seen the other way, whether they are magazines who want you on their cover, or whatever.. Don’t be under any illusions.. ALL of them want you because they’re making money off your youth and your beauty.. which they could not do except for the fact your youth makes you blind to the evils of show business. If you have an innocent heart you can’t recognise those who do not.

I repeat, you have enough talent that you don’t need to let the music business make a prostitute of you. You shouldn’t let them make a fool of you either. Don’t think for a moment that any of them give a flying fuck about you. They’re there for the money.. we’re there for the music. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. The sooner a young lady gets to know that, the sooner she can be REALLY in control.

You also said in Rolling Stone that your look is based on mine. The look I chose, I chose on purpose at a time when my record company were encouraging me to do what you have done. I felt I would rather be judged on my talent and not my looks. I am happy that I made that choice, not least because I do not find myself on the proverbial rag heap now that I am almost 47 yrs of age.. which unfortunately many female artists who have based their image around their sexuality, end up on when they reach middle age.

Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you. I needn’t even ask the question.. I’ve been in the business long enough to know that men are making more money than you are from you getting naked. Its really not at all cool. And its sending dangerous signals to other young women. Please in future say no when you are asked to prostitute yourself. Your body is for you and your boyfriend. It isn’t for every spunk-spewing dirtbag on the net, or every greedy record company executive to buy his mistresses diamonds with.

As for the shedding of the Hannah Montana image.. whoever is telling you getting naked is the way to do that does absolutely NOT respect your talent, or you as a young lady. Your records are good enough for you not to need any shedding of Hannah Montana. She’s waaaaaaay gone by now.. Not because you got naked but because you make great records.

Whether we like it or not, us females in the industry are role models and as such we have to be extremely careful what messages we send to other women. The message you keep sending is that its somehow cool to be prostituted.. its so not cool Miley.. its dangerous. Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. we aren’t merely objects of desire. I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers.. that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career. Kindly fire any motherfucker who hasn’t expressed alarm, because they don’t care about you.

http://goo.gl/Acntcu

Comment, bros.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24165993)

Also:

"Kindly fire any motherfucker who hasn’t expressed alarm, because they don’t care about you."

Sinead is CR. I wonder if MC will take something like this seriously. It's a very caring and generous message, that's for sure.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166034)

It's literally telling her she's a retard and an immature dumb being taken advantage of. I'd be embarrassed if I were Miley.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166142)

titcr

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24169426)

"Miley… Really? Who the f*&k is advising you? Because taking me on is even more f*&kin' stupid than behaving like a prostitute and calling it feminism. You have posted today tweets of mine which are two years old, which were posted by me when I was unwell and seeking help so as to make them look like they are recent. In doing so you mock myself and Amanda Bynes for having suffered with mental health issues and for having sought help.... Remove your tweets immediately or you will hear from my lawyers. I am certain you will be hearing from all manner of mental health advocacy groups also. It is not acceptable to mock any person for having suffered. It is most unbecoming of you to respond in such a fashion to someone who expressed care for you."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166222)

"Sinead. I don't have time to write you an open letter cause Im hosting & performing on SNL this week."

She's a huge cunt with a huge fall coming. What an ego.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166230)

"All the best, Miley. P.S. Madonna did it better."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166377)

Poast it pls, tyia.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166824)

Tumblr this post, STAT.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166171)

But now I finally know why Sinead shaved her head! I used to watch that video as a kid and asked my parents why she was bald. All they said was "she's weird."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166215)

you mean the people who run hollywood/music industry. poors just lap up what they are given. they don't create "culture" anymore; they receive it.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166420)

Your logic is like saying that since news ratings go up so much when a terrorist attack happens, that means we want terrorist attacks to happen.

It's not that extreme and yes she does have more actual fans because of the decaying culture. You're right about that to some extent. But her new whorish videos were like 70% dislikes on youtube, a lot of the attention is negative.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24166422)

I don't know what her fucking problem is, she's not even that hot, what's her desperation for attention all about? Well, I guess I answered my own question, when you're not hot, you need to do a lot of shit to get people's attention, and that's what she's doing. Too bad that she has no dignity.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24169342)

So what is the actual problem then? Why does she need so much attention?

She looks like the hot-girl-wannabe. She's almost hot, but not quite. Those are the worst kinds because they don't accept being fugly, but they're far from hot, so they need to push it real hard by doing certain things (i.e. getting naked.)

These types of chicks make me sick. Did you see the pics where she's wearing a shitty tiny leotard that shows her crotch? I mean, wtf?

She prolly wants to be like the chicks in the video Blurred Lines, except, those chicks are hot and they're models, while this chick is ugly, a singer and an actress.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24170328)

Have you heard of millionaires killing selves and in rehab? Well, guess what, millions won't cure you once you're fucked, just ask Michael Jackson.

She's doing it wrong. She has a following of girls 12-20 years old from Disney Hanna Montana, she's setting a shitty example now pretending it's ok to get naked and do porn in regular pop songs. If she wants to get naked, she should just work for a porn company and appear in adult websites available only to dirty men who can pay for the service. She's a vulgar POS.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24169879)

Miley OWNED this 50-year old, irrelevant washed up has-been that no one in the entire world gives a flying fuck about. Go shave your head and tear up some more pictures of the pope, Sinead, because no one gives a fuck about you.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24169894)

However, I'm on TEAM SINEAD

The retard known as Miley Cyrus is getting way overexposed.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24169934)

Not only overexposed, she's literally doing porn now, except she thinks she can do it mainstream. She has a following of 12-20 year old girls from Disney, she's setting a shitty example by being a literal whore on stage. She's disgusting and irresponsible.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24170011)

she's kinda a cunt for making her letter public.

if she really wanted to help she would've made it private, but of course she wants attention since she's a hasbeen and saw miley's reference of her as an opportunity to get back into the spotlight.

well it worked, but i think she's a cunt. miley's a cunt too though so i think i just hate them both.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24170007)

imagine if u got that letter and it was published to the world.

Sinead could've accomplished her goal in a much better way and in a less humiliating way to Miley.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24170037)

"As for the shedding of the Hannah Montana image.. whoever is telling you getting naked is the way to do that does absolutely NOT respect your talent, or you as a young lady. Your records are good enough for you not to need any shedding of Hannah Montana. She’s waaaaaaay gone by now.. Not because you got naked but because you make great records."

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24170215)

She apparently *really likes anal, which she refers to as "the difficult brown".

I’ve been repeatedly asked will I ‘do anal sex’. Let me make it very clear.. Any man I contemplate has to be into anal sex.. It was a family paper so they wudnt have printed it but let me now take time to make VERY clear that yes I ‘do anal’ and in fact I would be deeply unhappy if ‘doing anal’ wasn’t on the menu, amongst everything else$$ So if u don’t like ‘the difficult brown’.. Don’t apply…

*James Joyce, Jr. SPRINTING into this thread*, etc.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24171375)

You mean she can't talk about sex? Or she shouldn't advice a 20-year-old (who happened to publicly state she was inspired by Sinead) on how not to confuse a whore for a true singer?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24172063)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24171380)

This was pretty awesome.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24171715)

Wasn't the first time she publicly started acting like a slut when she teamed up with Robin Thicke? Those chicks set a shitty example by going topless on a regular video.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=2378080&forum_id=2#24172139)