Like the majority of teenagers on Aug. 25, I watched as the VMAs glowed on my TV. On a 50-inch screen, Miley Cyrus popped out of a giant teddy bear, tongue flopping in the air like a snake, wearing a skintight garment that looked similar to an elastic one-piece swimsuit.

Multiple (unsuccessful) attempts at twerking dotted her performance, while cuts to the audience showed Rihanna and Drake staring blankly in disbelief.

The performance didn’t end there, but only escalated as she removed her outfit to reveal a nude-colored bikini-like costume, whipped out a foam finger and stripteased on Robin Thicke as he performed his controversial “Blurred Lines.”

Immediately I was disapproving.  How could the girl who had the “best of both worlds” as Hannah Montana in 2008 be so shameless in 2013? Then, I took a step back. Who was I to judge?

While her hand and body movements were suggestive and even shocking, they were not grounds to cause my initial overreaction.

Judgmental phrases sprouted in other viewer’s minds as well.  Many were shocked, angry, and offended. The New York Post even created a “How to Twerk” guide, inspired by Miley.

Since when does sticking one’s tongue out cause more of an uproar than singing about sex in the air and liking the smell of it (See Rihanna’s “S&M”)?  The reaction to Miley’s performance is summed up in one word: overreaction.

Her outfit was identical, only a different color, from 2 Chainz’s 15+ dancers during his performance right after Miley’s. No one was shocked at this, but when Miley Cyrus wore it, it became suddenly vulgar and inappropriate because she used to be a child star, and a female child star at that.

For some unexplainable (sexist?) reason, people get stuck with an image of innocence in young female characters, and have trouble processing the actor’s sexuality as they get older. With boys, it’s not so difficult.

When Daniel Radcliffe appeared nude in a production of Equus, people saw it as daring and artistic. If Emma Watson decided to appear nude following the last movie of Harry Potter, she’d be considered a “good girl gone bad” or “promiscuous.”

Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera both had “raunchy” performances at the VMAs, but the repurcussions never reached the magnitude of Miley’s.

            Don’t we all have the freedom to express ourselves despite the opinions of others? All she’s doing is showing skin and performing, nothing worse than what others stars are doing. If we’re to hold Miley to a puritan standard, why don’t we hold it for Rihanna? Or 2 Chainz?

Perhaps it’s because we see adults in command of their public image and sexuality, whereas Miley is seen as immature and childish, despite a lot of experience in the entertainment industry and being 20 years old.

Stop the overreacting, and let her be. She’s just being Miley.