REGULARS

HANNAH MONTANA: THE ICON, 15 YEARS LATER

Written by Riley Doran

2006 is ingrained in my memory as a time of wanting to transition away from early childhood media. In my thensix-year-old mind, gone were the days of Hi-5, The Wiggles and The Hooley Dooleys; I was craving content that I saw as more mature and less condescending, even though I couldn’t possibly have articulated that at the time. It was in 2006 that I grew obsessively fascinated with Disney Channel; despite not having the holy grail that was Foxtel, I became a fanatical Saturday Disney viewer and would rent out High School Musical nearly every time I was lucky enough to be taken to Video Ezy. But there was one franchise that stood above them all–Hannah Montana. 15 years later, I still find myself reflecting on just how significant an impact the icon that is Hannah Montana had, not only on myself, but on my entire generation.

Firstly, Hannah’s outfits were, to put it mildly, outrageous. Animal print, sequins, colourful boots, layers upon layers upon layers. Every outfit screamed confidence, creativity and self-expression. Even if some of the colour and pattern combinations are hideous in retrospect, it’s impossible to deny that in the mid-2000s Hannah Montana was a fashion icon. But perhaps the most iconic aspect of her appearance was the legendary blonde wig. A symbol of power and transformation, the wig became synonymous with her legacy and remains a cultural symbol of the mid-2000s. Beyond the screen, Hannah Montana cemented her place in our hearts and the cultural conversation through the show’s soundtrack. Of course, ‘Best of Both Worlds’ and ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ were smash hits, but Hannah’s discography boasts a multitude of other certified bops and gorgeous ballads that absolutely hold up. Through all these aspects of a superstar persona, not to mention a hit movie and the growing stardom of Miley Cyrus herself, Hannah Montana became the ultimate icon for a generation of kids.

Hannah’s iconography was one thing. But her true power was in her double life. What kid didn’t dream of holding the secret power over their bullies that they were a megastar? For a young outcast, experiencing budding queerness, my ultimate dream was to have endless possibilities, universal adoration and be invincible from bullies. Miley Stewart’s alter ego of Hannah Montana represented escapism, creativity and individuality, and she used these virtues to not only wriggle out of sticky situations (dang flabbit!) but also to overpower her bullies (iconic mean girls Amber and Ashley), protect her friends and family, and overcome the self-esteem and identity struggles of adolescence (sweet niblets!). Watching Miley Stewart use her secret power to overcome these universal struggles gave confidence to a generation, emphasizing that by simply leaning into your strengths and being true to your passions, you could be whoever you wanted to be.

The power of Hannah’s double life worked in reverse too. In the era of the infamous ‘Britney meltdown’ and peak paparazzi harassment, the possibility of receding into anonymity offstage with the swift removal of a wig was idyllic. At the time, Hannah perhaps epitomized an ideal version of a popstar, one who could stay grounded and not be swept up by the intoxicating perils of fame for which our culture disparaged Britney, Lindsay, Paris and a barrage of others. Miley Stewart had the benefit of an anonymous life to develop a healthy perspective of the world and stand her moral ground against duplicitous executives and industry temptations. This certainly reflected what our generation’s parents wanted our role models to look like–the anti ‘Bimbo Summit’ popstar who could remain grounded, stay in school and preach respect for family, morality and herself.

But with the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Hannah really exemplified just how hard fame is and just how poorly the mid-2000s ‘bimbos’ were treated by the media. Miley Cyrus herself became trapped in this culture only a few years later as she shed her squeaky-clean Disney image. After all, Miley Stewart was just a character and the real Miley Cyrus remained famous even without the Hannah wig. The public outcry after her controversial 2013 Video Music Awards performance was ubiquitous and marked the cultural death of Hannah Montana. But the clues were there all along–Hannah embodied a stark contrast to other popstars of the era, demonstrating just how necessary anonymity was for the preservation of identity. In many ways, the series was a sharp criticism of the treatment of young women in the entertainment industry—through a child-friendly lens, it reflected on invasion of privacy and harassment by the paparazzi. On the way Hollywood asks and expects actresses to sacrifice their principles. On the intense burden of stalker fans, among countless other dubious aspects of the entertainment industry. Perhaps part of the reason our generation is so well-equipped to talk about the pitfalls of show business (see: #FreeBritney) is the cultural understanding of fame, industry and integrity Hannah Montana provided us with.

Hannah Montana was formative. The series shaped the way I and so many others my age view the world, and the entertainment industry in particular. The impacts of that are still being highlighted 15 years later. It’s time that we culturally enshrine her as one of the 2000s’ most iconic pop stars.