Miley Cyrus, star of the Disney Channel show "Hannah Montana," is this year's headline act for the city of Provo's Stadium of Fire on the Fourth of July. Cyrus' fans range in age from preschoolers to high-school age. To date, she has remained scandal-free, and parents have embraced her as a role model for their children. But this week, the teen sensation was the center of controversy.
    Cyrus participated in a Vanity Fair magazine photo shoot that featured one image showing her shoulders and back exposed and a sheet wrapped around her. By Hollywood standards the image is not racy, but the issue is more about what the photo suggests - the 15-year-old appears to be nude in bed and has a seductive, come-hither look on her face.
    The Cyrus controversy bears uncomfortable similarity to the genesis of the Britney Spears saga. Spears, herself once a Disney Channel star, struggled in her teen years to reform her "good girl" image and attract a new fan base. The result was provocative music videos and an onstage wardrobe that was unnecessarily revealing. Now at age 26, Spears is dealing with the effects of child stardom, which catapulted her into adulthood at a young age.
    What seems to be missing in Spears' and Cyrus' career decisions is parental guidance.
    Cyrus' parents were supposedly on the set during the Vanity Fair shoot but expressed regret only after the controversy erupted.
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Cyrus reportedly will earn an astronomical $1 billion this year from her music, TV, films and merchandise. Perhaps her parents have adopted an equivocal attitude so as not to jeopardize what has become a lucrative cash cow for them. They, however, must weigh the costs against the benefits - any celebrity parent watching Spears' life playing out in the media should be concerned.
    Parental guidance is also required from the parents of the millions of young girls who revere Cyrus. Parents go to great lengths to buy their children tickets to her shows (online tickets to the Stadium of Fire event sold out in about 10 minutes). The controversies with Cyrus, Spears and other young celebrities, such as Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate Olsen, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, leave one wondering whether we should encourage our children to admire any entertainers at all.
    At the very least, admiration cannot go unchecked. Cyrus has a great deal of influence on many young girls. Families should discuss why the Cyrus pose in the photo is inappropriate for a 15-year-old girl.
    While the parents of these young stars are seemingly satisfied taking a back seat in their children's upbringing, the average person does not have the luxury to do the same.
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    * COREY J. HODGES, the senior pastor of the New Pilgrim Baptist Church in Taylorsville, welcomes comments at coreyjhodges@ comcast.net. You also may send comments to religioneditor@ sltrib.com.