Miley Cyrus unleashed a bundle of joy this week in the form of her new video for “Younger Now” and we’re still processing the epic-ness of it all (Child mimes! Studded jumpsuits! Poodle skirts!). In the clearest sign yet that her twerking / ‘Bangerz’ days are over, Miley is going back to her country roots with an epic ode to Elvis (her-self-professed hero) and 1950s rockabilly style. From pompadours to poodle skirts, we break down our favourite looks from the video.
At the start of the video, we see Miley in “Sleeping Beauty” repose, lying in bed in a white nightgown and minimal makeup, as though “all this time she’s been asleep.” It’s Miley at her most honest and vulnerable.
Next, we see Miley transformed into a rockabilly crooner, decked out in a Western-style red satin blouse and shorts, with her hair done up in a loose pompadour with strands falling loose. She’s getting closer to personifying her idol, the King of Rock n’ Roll here, and goddamn, she looks FIERCE. We also see her hanging in a puppet show with a mini-me puppet representing little girl Miley of days gone by. It’s is the cutest thing to see because she hugs and smiles at the puppet and is totally loving herself — past, present and everything. (And silly as it may seem, we should *all* do this, at least in theory).
Then, along comes the “Younger Now” parade float, complete with little dudes in pastel blue Western jumpsuits and Miley donning an off-the-shoulder red ruffled dress while strumming the guitar. The dress looks like something Miley’s godmother and country singer Dolly Parton (who Miley duets with on her soon-to-be-released new album) would have worn in the 1960s.
Next up, it’s Miley as full-on rebel as she’s clad in a black-studded leather jumpsuit (designed by bestie and Moschino designer Jeremy Scott), and hanging out with a ragtag posse of older drag queens, carnies and gang members that you wouldn’t want to mess with late at night in a dark alley.
Miley full-on channels Elvis in a powder-blue rhinestone-studded jumpsuit and perfected pompadour. She’s surrounded by children dressed as mimes that scurry around her (a metaphor for what she used to be?). With this look, her transformation is almost complete.
There’s a brief intermission near the end of the video, as we see Miley seemingly trapped in some sort of carnival ride / dungeon situation while dressed like a rainbow harlequin in a red ruffled skirt and pink platforms. Could this be a nod to the industrial vibe of the “Wrecking Ball” video? We’re not entirely sure…
Miley freefalls through the sky, dressed like a renegade member of the Blue Man Group, in what seems to be a dream sequence that she alluded to in the song’s lyrics and more specifically, the line “What goes up, must come down.”
Finally, the last (and best) sequence of “Younger Now” shows Miley united with her ragtag team of queens dressed in full sock-hop regalia: swingy poodle skirts, neck ties and bobby socks all in ice cream hues. It’s a moment of joyful celebration as Miley gleefully kicks up her heels and parades across the floor in what looks to be a ’50s-style pastel dream malt shop. She and her crew dance with abandon until they all come tumbling down to the floor. And… scene.
Aside from all the fashion, what we love most about “Younger Now” is that Cyrus is clearly the happiest she’s ever been, which radiates throughout the video. There’s a sense of authentic freedom and self-acceptance that wasn’t there during her “Wrecking Ball” days. Just witness the lyrics: “Even though it’s not who I am / I’m not afraid of who I used to be” and, “Change is a thing you can count on / I feel so much younger now”. A simple message, but a very cool one nonetheless.
