The Perez Hilton/Miley Cyrus Child Porn Mess
Over the weekend, long time reader and commenter, Robert sent me an e-mail saying that Perez Hilton had posted an upskirt picture of Miley Cyrus. Normally probably not a big deal. The problem was this time, Miley was not wearing anything under her skirt making it child porn.
The reason I did not write about it yesterday is that although the Tweet is still on Perez' Twitter, the picture is not there any longer. Going to several other websites I saw censored versions of the picture and I also saw a lot of commentary that the uncensored one was actually photoshopped.
Without knowing for sure, I was not going to accuse the guy of child porn. That is a very, very serious charge. Career killing. There was the recent case in England where a guy was sentenced to jail for placing Emma Watson's face on a naked body while she was still a minor so there is that to think about also.
Anyway, Salon spent yesterday going through all the evidence and doing the great job they do with reporters who are actually paid to report and dig and get quotes. They conclude that Perez should be charged with child porn, but if he is not, then it is because he is Perez. To read the entire Salon piece, click here.
64 comments:
I was hoping it was true.
I hate Perez, but that's a bit much. Miley is the one who should be charged with child porn.
That's screwed up for lots of reasons.
1. Miley did it on purpose for sure
2. Photoshopping for a fake upskirt?? Unlikely.
3. Yeah, shouldn't have published un-blurred image for under-18 yo
Jail? Seems a bit stiff to me.
I don't particularly like Perez either, but I don't think he's promoting child pornography to the degree her own parents are, with her and her little sister. She's worn outfits that clearly outline her nether regions, and has wore the skimpiest of bikini's and moved in her 20 year old boyfriend when she was what? 15?
I say Perez gets a pass. He should know better from the T. Willis butt cheek debacle featuring an angry Demi Moore-
Miley probably giggled to herself and texted all her friends when she heard about the pic or intentionally set out to have a pic of herself taken in that manner
Celebs get away with murder in this town, literally. Doubt much will happen to him except more ratings, higher advertising yields, so a bigger bank balance and perhaps, at LAST! his very own, much dreamed of reality show. Miley will be his first guest so they can mea culpa all over each other. Then Will. i. am will pop in for a sparring session.
Fuck me, you Americans are retarded. She's seventeen. Biologically she's an adult.
Your mongoloid laws saying seventeen is a "minor" doesn't mean shit. In more than half of the industrialised first-world nations of the world, including mine, she's well past the age of consent.
(16, if you're wondering)
Let me make it simple: child pornography is pornography involving a child, a child is an individual who has yet to reach pubertal maturity (that's nature speaking, a.k.a. biology, a.k.a. that which supercedes any bullshit manmade law).
Therefore, an upskirt picture of a seventeen-year-old, who by any logical estimation is a biological adult, is not child pornography.
Period.
Close paragraph.
Save file.
Convert to pdf.
Send to publisher.
Negotiate film rights.
Start work on the sequel.
IF this is true, and I am by no means a fan of Perez, I think this falls on Miley.
Where is her sense of modesty or propriety? If you leave your house without underwear, you can't be surprised or upset by anything that ensues.
Everyone is making an issue out of Perez posting the pic, but why not about a 17-year-old who leaves home without underwear?
Techinically child porn? Yes.
Law doesn't account for the context of circumstances he published photo-entertainment website vs. actually wanting to be a child pornographer.
Should he get arrested/charged/conviction out of it? No, it is a very serious charge-felony, prison, fines, sex offender registration. The time and resources spent to prosecute him could be better spent on convicting and keeping real child pornographers behind bars.
Would he be getting preferential treatment in the LA system regardless of his intent/context of posting the picture? Of course.
The law is the law. If the law thinks that Miley Cyrus is underage at 17, and Perez Hilton printed a crotch shot of her, then according the the law, he could be guilty of trafficking in child porn.
End.of.story.
I despise Perez, and this proves just what an idiot he is.
But: Miley may be only 17, but she's already looking and dressing like a hooker.
Casey... do you think a policeman could have stopped Hurricane Katrina?
I'd rather obey the laws of nature than those of man. They tend to carry a little more weight.
You know, all this commentary makes me uncomfortable. Yes, Miley is a total skank, and it's completely her parents' fault for pimping her out and turning her into a Lolita.
That said, the laws are there in place to protect children. By law, Miley is a child. Just because she *thinks* she knows what she's doing, doesn't mean she actually knows what she's doing. Once she reaches 18, she can legally make her own decision to flash her crotch wherever she wishes.
Also, just because Perez didn't mean to post child porn doesn't mean it isn't a big deal. There could be nasty old men pleasuring themselves to that image. Furthermore, it gives people the impression that it's OK to photoshop underage pictures and post shit like that for the world to see.
Finally, whether the pic was photoshopped or not, Perez believed it was real. That means he intentionally posted child porn online. I don't think it matters whether the pic is real or not. That's why the guys get punished on "To Catch a Predator" - they believe they are talking to a minor even though it's an actress over 18.
Sorry for the huge rant. Perez should get the punishment anybody else would get.
Typical, a sleazy photographer takes an upskirt shot of a minor, a sleazy gossip blogger publishes it - photoshopped or not - and who gets all the blame here - the girl whose privacy was violated. All evidence indicates this photo was in fact photoshopped, so Miley did nothing wrong, but hey lets still call her a slut, it is always fun to blame the victim.
miley's parents being slime and perez publishing the picture have nothing to do with each other. one is a crime, one is not.
does the fact that her parents have been overly permissive excuse someone publishing a picture of their daughter's snatch? of COURSE not.
she's a minor, the picture was taken without her knowledge and IMO, he's cooked, as he should be.
it's not about any other peripheral issue---it's THIS photo and HIM posting it. that's IT.
@Ella - good point, who IS the sleazy pap shooting under Miley's skirt.
Also agree, can't blame Miley-laws protect all kids, regardless of their intentions.
Others have a good point-who cares about his intentions b/c breaking law, period. And, agree child porn abusers would/could use that picture in the criminal context so Perez did provide them with something whether he intended to or not.
That all said/acknowledged-still prefer they take the money they'd spend to prosecute him and prosecute the photographer and/or other child pornographers.
Even more sad? You know the Miley Machine is just excited for more publicity-what's a little child porn when you just want to make as much money as possible in the short time you get in Hollywood.
Oh please. She was a skank before this photo, I personally have not seen it nor do I wish to google it. I've seen photo's of her on Radar, here, etc, and I've seen someone who is competing with COCO for camel toe show. I don't think anyone is "blaming the victim" I think the arguments on either side have been well represented
ditto blondegossip.
disturbing, no?
@Captain Angrypants - Hurricane Katrina has NOTHING to do with this. I know A LOT of people who are very sensitive to that subject, and I don't appreciate you bringing it up in this post.
PIGEZ is just that; a PIG. A hypocritcal PIG. Do I think he needs to go to jail? Not necessarily. BUT I do really hope this incident opens they eyes of his readers and they stop feeding the fire. This was a VERY bad desicion on his part. He posted this to his twitter account and he has over 2 million followers. Urgh, I also despise this PIG. I just want him to go away...
Legally, so far as I see, Miley should be charged with public indecency, her parents should be charged with child neglect, the photographer should be charged with child pornography and Hilton should be charged with distributing child pornography. Frankly I couldn't care less if they all go to jail and stop cluttering up the tabloids and the internet.
@Icecat... way to avoid addressing the point I was making by appealing to emotionalism.
Do you have a response to the point I was making, or are you just trolling?
As much as I despise Miley and agree that she probably is enjoying the publicity this has brought her, the law is the law - there can't really be any room for blurred lines in the realm of child pornography. She's under 18 or she's over 18 and that's it. Her past doesn't really have anything to do with it. As far as Perez goes, no, I don't think there was any intention of spreading chuld porn, but he's a grown man who ought to know better, especially after having been in business for as long as he has. I'd like to see some backlash for him from this though, simpluy because I want him to go away and you can't charge someone with "criminally bad taste".
Yes. "chuld porn".
oh jesus christ,here we go...
I see a lot of comments here making points that are not true/not clear.
1. The pictures taken immediately after the controversial picture show an outline of underwear. It either means her underwear was also see-through, as was her dress somewhat, or as many of us women know, when you are sitting down and turn in your seat, your clothing can be pinned and not move with you. Therefore, throwing a leg out to get out of the car would reveal all.
Either way, she was clearly wearing underwear in the pictures immediately after. So there is no issue of "it's her fault! Why wasn't she wearing underwear! Why was she flashing!" That point is moot.
2. For AngryPants that says America is ridiculous for that law in the first place, that may be so, but considering people are arrested for this crime with other 17-year-olds every day in this country, do you think NOW is the exact moment when we decide to ignore the law? Or should we let another celebrity get away with nothing?
3. MANY people have accused Perez of being a pedophile for years. A couple of years ago there was a picture of Miley that got hacked from her phone showing her in pajamas I think, hard to remember, but she was with a friend, kind of like they were having a slumber party or something, and Perez made some offhanded comment about he was hoping her next leaked picture would be of her naked. He has said sexually suggestive things about the underage Jonas brother, Selena Gomez, and others. It's wrong that he thinks its perfect fine to make sexual comments about children in the first place.
4. As if nothing he did was wrong, he has now posted a short video where he says he thinks its ok for Miley to be sexy now and show her boobs.
Link to the video: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid26761395001?bclid=1873841114&bctid=95757940001
5. Perez Hilton is an ignorant pig. If this had been ANYONE ELSE ON EARTH, he would have wrote a post on his website and said they should be arrested and would continually say that for all of eternity, wearing everyone out with it.
They seriously need a step-down from the sex registry for convicted offenders and instead make a registry for people that need to be watched for pedophilia and he needs to be on it. (ok this is extreme, but I still think he is deep down a pedophile after watching him make so many sexual comments towards kids for many years)
@Captain Angrypants - I guess I just don't see your point. The laws of Nature have nothing to do with what we are talking about here. So, you think she's an adult - good for you. The good ol' USA does not. Not until she is 18... Here in America we have to obey the laws of MAN or we go to a place called JAIL.
Mabye I'm a little sensitive because my best friend lost EVERYTHING she owned from Hurricane Katrina.
And, please don't call me a troll -because WTF are you doing here? Berating others responses?
Nuff Said for Fuck Sake!!
I'm with Daveb. That seems to be the simplest solution to end it all. Lock them all up and take their money too.
The malice that has been directed at this kid got a little too exuberant. (Yes, 17 y.o. is a kid, and that holds true even if the adults in her life have pimped her out.) Jabba the Butt didn't think twice about publishing that photo. He felt freely entitled to do so, being as how he's the self-appointed Hall Monitor of Celebrity High. (And, needless to say, Miley BAD!(
Well, he's not.
Entitled.
To do.
That.
Sorry, nuanced, sophisticated, enlightened Polanski Fan. You can go back to hanging around outside the gym at the local junior high hoping for a peek. Jabba should be prosecuted, just like anyone else would be. (Especially after demanding equal justice for the celebrities he monitors.) If he's not, then I guess it's just another lesson to us in how some of the animals are more equal than others. Although why that holds true for this pig is beyond me.
@Icecat... the point is that we stand humbled in the face of nature, and, thus, the laws of man mean absolutely nothing when compared to the utterly immutable laws of nature.
Accordingly, if nature says a woman of 17 is biologically capable of reproducing, who fuck are any of us to create - or respect - any law that states otherwise?
This is the stupidity (arrogance, insanity, etc.) I alluded to in my original post - the assumption that a manmade law can somehow supercede an inherent natural one. It's a fantasy, and anyone who adheres to it for the sake of conformity is a fool.
That makes fools of everyone here blabbing on about child pornography, If she was 10, I'd agree with you. But she's not.
You genuinely look like idiots when you try to label a woman with fully formed reproductive organs a child.
And yes, it's trolling when you post in response to a post and fail to address the essence of said post.
Icecat is a regular, "Angrypants". You're the one trolling.
Emotionalism? Captain, you just called 350 million people you've never met "retarded." I'd say that's emotionalism to the point of insanity.
That said, I think it's ridiculous to accuse Perez of child porn. Child porn is a hideously important issue that should never be litigated in this kind of light ... it demeans it and makes it seem less important. "Child porn" is not 17 year old women flashing the camera.
Why are we even discussing a 17 year old's private body parts? This is pretty disgusting. I feel like I am constantly defending this girl, but take a look at these pictures, if you like:
http://www.paquifansites.net/miley/displayimage.p...
http://www.mileyimages.net/displayimage.php?pid=5...
They clearly show white panty lines in the photos. This girl is simply shooting a music video and trying her darndest not to show her underpants. Someone grabs that, photoshops it and now the whole world is calling her a slut. Shame on Perez and everyone else.
Sorry...here are the links. (also I meant to say everyone jumping on the Miley is a slut bandwagon over these photos.)
http://www.paquifansites.net/miley/displayimage.php?pid=32830&fullsize=1
http://www.mileyimages.net/displayimage.php?pid=53530&fullsize=1
"You genuinely look like idiots when you try to label a woman with fully formed reproductive organs a child"
What if she was 12 and developed early? Would you still call her a woman and say this was OK?
this is to daveb, who i assume is a renowned legal scholar:
how the FUCK do you figure that 'legally', miley should be charged with public indecency? even if she WASN'T wearing underwear, someone would have had to stick a camera up her skirt for you to even know that.
what's under her outer clothing is nobody's business, and there's nothing fucking 'public' about it.
Thanks Melody The First!
I just can't with the Captain anymore. And, I didn't mean any hate. But, I did spend the better part of a Saturday night watching my neighbor and her sister (who is still living in NOLA) cry for hours and talk about Katrina. So please, forgive me, for this still being fresh in my mind. It really hit hard.
I'm not even going to look at the photos, and I agree with everyone else that this is a little disturbing...
whether you agree with America's decision that anyone under 18 is stupid or not, it is what it is.
Personally, I believe that lowering the age of adulthood in countries other than USA has resulted in the exploitation of boys and girls. Age standards should not be lowered just because teenagers worldwide are having a "sexual revolution." Now more than ever, we should protect our children from those willing and able to exploit them. BTW, I don't think that USA doesn't exploit children, it is just that in other countries where 12, 13, 16 year old are thrown into the adult world it is legally accepted.
oops, I meant anyone under 18 *is a minor* is....
I'm with TraLaLa on this one. I will vomit if the Cyrus pimps, I mean, parents are all up in arms about this. We haven't forgotten the Vanity Fair photoshoot, Billy Ray.
My daughter is thirteen and is biologically able to reproduce. Does that make her fair game for predators, angrypants? Very rare to start menstruating as late as 17.
So Perez has issued a video statement on this topic. He says there are other photos from that shoot that show that Miley was "Clearly" (he says it three times) wearing underwear. So experts were too early to accuse him of distributing child porn. You can call him anything, but he's not a fool to that to himself. He had already had some photos with Miley's nip slip some time ago, but he was well-aware of possible accusation of child pornography, so her body parts were retoched
The thing that nobody seems to be getting in all this crap, is that perez must need traffic on his site, thats why he did this. I hate him, but I do look at his site occasionally. Most of the comments have been very low in numbers like 13 or so lately. Now they are the 100's. I really do think he's about to jump the shark, at least I hope he is..
Slider, it might be a publicity stunt that works out both for Perez and Miley. If she was "clearly" wearing underwear she can say she doesn't care, and he's off the hook. I still think - and hope - that this is finally the beginning of the Perez backlash...he's losing popularity, people are getting tired of his juvenile and poorly written crap.
I can't believe I am acutally siding with Demi Moore on this. She was screaming about him posting some rather shady pictures of her youngest daughter shirt being open.
I don't think Perez is all powerful. And he has pissed off a lot of high powered celebs.
I think he might actually find himself in some hot water soon. But people will still go to his website.
I agree with Melody. Child porn and exploitation is a huge huge issue, but this isn't child porn by a long shot.
The real creeps here are the photographer who took the shot and the moron who 'shopped it.
If my daughters were ever caught in a "candid" shot like that, I'd tell them to close their legs and put some more clothes on. I wouldn't let them out of the house in the outfit Miley wore to that club...geez Louise, already. Being "adult" doesn't mean wearing as little clothing as possible...
Hmm...all very interesting. I don't really know what to think.
I'm confused after watching his video...did the original picture show her naughty bits or not? She should have been wearing underwear BUT no one has the right to take/post a picture like that. Unless she was trying to flash on purpose like he his insinuating.
What has old Miley said about this? I haven't seen anything yet?
Oddly enough, you know who is probably Perez's biggest behind the scenes defender right now - Miley Cyrus.
Why? Well if she is legally a minor then all her actirng, stage, etc work is probably breaking all kinds labor laws.
That 20 year old boyfriend that she practically lives with? He would be committing statatory rape.
All those people helping her break various labor laws, commit the "rape" etc...those could be accessories.
This would probably go away fairly quickly except there are a lot of celebs and gossip magazines that would love if Perez went away.
Oh, one more thing: Perez drools over underage boys all the time...he hasn't crossed the line, but he's close (did he post a pic of Nick Jonas in underwear a while back?!?). His obsession with Justin Beiber is creepy.
Wouldn't surprise me if he was in NAMBLA...now I feel like barfing...
I actually used to visit Perez Hilton's website, but quickly became put off by his downright hatefulness (kick 'em when their down!,) his compulsion to out celebrities (whether he's correct or not, and whether they want it or not,) his devotion to All Things Boy ("Homolicious!") and, most upsetting, the crude drawings of (to put it crudely) cocks shooting loads into people's faces and jizz running down their chins. Christ, what is he, twelve? Save that for the restroom wall! This is not to mention his personification of the word "famewhore," incessant self-promotion and nonstop Lady GaGa worship. (Payola?) I came across CDAN and have never looked back--not just for the site itself, but the readers and their comments which are intellectually superior and more thought-provoking than most other sites, especially his (ironic, in view of this post.) For me, they make the site what it is. Thanks, folks!
Didn't Perez also post those photos of Vanessa Hudges nude, back when she was still a minor? I think he's got issues.
I have nothing nice to say about Perez, so I'll stop here.
Oh except I forgot something - and it doesn't matter whether or not Miley was wearing underwear. It is still illegal to post nude pics of minors on the internet, and doing so makes you a purveyor of child porn. Let's not blame the victim. She's a TEENAGER. We're ADULTS who should know better.
Go, Salon!
What sweet justice it would be to have him charges and slapped, at the very least, with huge fines. There should be funds funneling money from such civil convictions directly into public funds or charities that work to prevent and alleviate the effects of such violations. It's awful for disgustingly thoughtless people like Perez to profit from the attention the get for breaking the law and flouting common decency, just because their resulting high profiles make them advertiser friendly.
Perez Hilton posted a bare crotch picture of an underage, 17-year-old girl. Posting pictures of bare genetalia of ANY underage child is illegal.
She's 17. A child BY LAW whether we agree to it or not. She is not considered to have the capacity to make life decisions for herself or enter legally binding contracts.
It doesn't matter if she dresses like a ho. Doesn't matter that her parents let her.
Under the law, it's illegal, she is a victim and he needs to go to jail.
Intent should not be an issue here.
I was happy when Will.I.Am's manager punched Perez in the face, and I'll throw a freakin' party if he's brought up on child porn charges. He's a hateful human being. Wasn't there an issue along the same lines regarding one of Demi Moore's daughters? I seem to remember him calling her a slut or something because she wore a revealing dress on the red carpet.
I don't know how anyone can claim child porn when the person involved is a hillbilly ho that kisses her female dancer, rubs crotches with her male dancer (who in photos appears to be aroused), and wears outfits so tight you can see her camel toe. And as far as being a minor, there are only 11 states in the U.S. where you are considered a minor until the age of 18. Every other state has the age of consent for females at 16 or 17.
iheartcrotchblogger can't figure out why child porn laws should apply if the child is a pimped out hillbilly. Nice. iheartcrotchblogger has studied the issue and concluded that children who ask for it have it coming to them. F'ng hillbilly. And the age of consent argument; see any problems with that one? No? Hint: it has to do with the "consent" part.
From the Salon article:
As is often the case when you delve into the realm of child porn law, it's rather shocking what you can find -- from sexting teens charged as sex offenders to parents arrested for taking photos of their kids naked in the bathtub. If a 15-year sentence and lifetime registration as a sex offender seems a disproportionate response to what Hilton did, remember that scores of Americans face similarly disproportionate charges but don't have a recognizable, headline-making moniker.
Captain, plenty of ten-year-old girls are biologically capable of reproducing, so that kind of fucks your theory.
Considering that school teachers and school headmasters who caught teens "sexting" and contacted the parents to address the issue were tried and found guilty because they saw the actual "S-texts" - Perez should be charged while someone changes the stupid law to make allowances when necessary.
I mean - how can a teacher or a headmister/mistress realize the children are sexting if they cannot even see the texts once?
on the other hand, Perez knows she is still 17 and let's be honest - having been faced with the dilemma of posting pictures of young kids, he always made the wrong choice. I say let him pay to make up for all the other times.
p.s. also i am still upset at him for "forcing" people like NPH out of the closet. bitch!
i meant schoolmaster not schoolmister.. oops :)
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