Miley Cyrus has been called every name in the book: phony, fake, dumb, self-obsessed, boy-crazy, promiscuous, a bad influence, psychotic, you name it. With her radical change from the Hannah Montana era Miley to the "Blurred Lines" post-VMAs Miley, she's received endless questions and -- what seems to me -- criticism.

With every change she makes (even something as insignificant as a haircut), she's ripped to shreds by every pop culture commentator and their mother. Adults ask questions like: Is who I used to let my kids watch on TV every night? This is the person my daughter begged me to let her dress like? Sing along to in the mirror, pretending to be her? Online news columnists in desperate need for a provocative article find any reason they can to call her out. Whether it be a questionable dance move, outfit, or out-of-the-box music video, the media takes any opportunity to pounce.

However, in this the new era of Miley, many young adults find themselves faced with the question: what happened to the cookie cutter, cute, funny, sassy feel-good Hannah Montana from our childhood? I don't know about you, but I used to get so excited to see what crazy stunt Jackson would pull next, every day when I got back from school. Her tunes were catchy, her life seemed awesome, and her out of the box style (for a tween at least) was the coolest of cool. Who didn't want to be an undercover teen pop star living the life in Malibu?

So what happened? At first, I got why people were upset with her. This new provocative, uber-sexualized Miley shouldn't and can't be influencing the generation of girls that grew up with her as Hannah Montana. However, the more I saw of Miley's transformation, the more I started to take her side. People would roll their eyes at her new music and videos, her outfit choices, even her choice of significant other. Being a celebrity comes with the territory of insult, but it seemed like most commentators felt personally betrayed by Miley's transformation.

As a role model, how could she do this? seemed to be the question on everyone's mind. But the more I read and saw of Miley in her post-Hannah Montana years, I realized, How could she not do this? People were upset because she wasn't what they wanted her to be anymore. She has the power of being a role model for young adults across the world, and she no longer fits into the box of what society says it is okay for a young woman to be. She dresses and acts how she wants. Honestly, what better lesson to teach to our young people than that?

Screw what society thinks about it, you owe it to yourself to be you -- whether that means twerking whenever you want, dressing in as little or as much clothing as you want, or dating whoever you want. It's a lesson all young people need to learn. Sorry, everyone, but Miley isn't Hannah -- she's just bein' Miley, now. And she's done caring what you think about it.