Miley Cyrus may have gotten tongues wagging following her raunchy performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. But she's also left more than a few appalled critics wagging their fingers at her.
The Parents Television Council has issued a statement slamming the erstwhile Disney starlet for her booty-popping, undies-flashing, teddy-bear-humping number while deriding MTV for the show's TV-14 rating, which indicated it was appropriate for young viewers.
"MTV has once again succeeded in marketing sexually charged messages to young children using former child stars and condom commercials—while falsely rating this program as appropriate for kids as young as 14," the organization said, per Entertainment Weekly.
"This much is absolutely clear: MTV marketed adults-only material to children while falsely manipulating the content rating to make parents think the content was safe for their children," the PTC added.
The organization took the network to task for signing off on Cyrus' racy performance, saying that "MTV continues to sexually exploit young women by promoting acts that incorporate ‘twerking' in a nude-colored bikini."
The PTC continued: "How is this image of former child star Miley Cyrus appropriate for 14-year-olds? How is it appropriate for children to watch Lady Gaga strip down to a bikini in the opening act?"
In an interesting twist, however, the 20-year-old singer's connection to the organization goes well beyond inciting its ire. Per Rolling Stone, her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, sits on the advisory board of the watchdog group.
The vociferous protests certainly didn't stop the "We Can't Stop" popster from turning up the heat.
Just hours after the telecast, Cyrus posted provocative twitpics of herself that ratcheted up her new, self-bestowed sexpot persona.
In one shot, Cyrus stands in a closet with her back to the camera while flashing her thong-clad booty. (Granted, she did pair the look with tight white shorts.)
"#23 #youcanthangwithus #boyslockerroom," she captioned the image.
In another, she squats while wearing a two-piece outfit emblazoned with Michael Jordan's name and his famous number, 23.
And in the ultimate kiss-off, one pic shows Liam Hemsworth's fiancée flipping the bird (with both hands!) while wearing an orange track jacket that hypes the title of her upcoming album, Bangerz.
She's clearly starting things off with a bang.