Miley Cyrus has captivated her young fans with humor, song and an easy girl-next-door sort of wholesomeness.

She shouldn’t be too quick to shuck it all in favor of an image that is less sweet and more tart. She’s only 15; she’s still a child.

Lately, Cyrus’ name is on the tip of everyone’s tongues – even those without children in the 6- to 14-year-old demographic that makes up the audience of her Disney Channel show "Hannah Montana." The reason? Racy photos taken by Annie Lebowitz, quite possibly the world’s premiere celebrity photographer, and published in Vanity Fair magazine.

THE PHOTOGRAPH stirring most of the controversy is of a topless Cyrus wrapped in what appears to be a satin bed sheet (a behind-the-scenes feature on Vanity Fair’s Web site describes it as a heavy blanket). Her bare back is visible, but the rest of her is demurely covered.

For my money, the creepier photograph in the bunch features a fully-clothed Miley with her head resting in the lap of her well-known father (Billy Ray Cyrus of "Achy Breaky Heart" fame). Something about the shot – perhaps it’s the sultry look on young Miley’s face – gives it a certain air of inappropriateness.

In other images, Cyrus is fully clothed in jeans and a form-hugging black tank top or in a leather jacket and mini-dress. In some of the behind-the-scenes shots, she appears natural and at ease. In others, she is posed suggestively with a pouty look and tousled hair.

VANITY FAIR urges its readers to look at all the photographs before passing judgment on them. The magazine and Lebowitz have defended the work.

OK. Taken in totality, the photographs still appear to be an effort to sexualize a 15-year-old girl.

And that’s a problem. Cyrus isn’t an 18-year-old – a full-fledged bona fide adult in the eyes of the law. She’s fit and attractive, but she’s just a girl. And her fans are even younger. Many of them are just beyond the Barbie doll and Dora the Explorer stages.

WHAT MESSAGE are we – as a culture, not just the Cyruses – sending to our girls? That one must meet rather narrow standards of beauty to succeed? That it’s OK to be treated as a sex object?

A generation after the women’s movement, you’d think we’d be farther along the path to true equality. Women should be judged on the strength of their personality and their intellect not the tautness of their abs.

Back to Cyrus. She and her family have apologized for the photographs; they’ve also suggested they were somehow duped by Lebowitz. This seems unlikely. Cyrus’ parents, grandmother and 8-year-old sister were on the set. And Lebowitz says the family never objected to any of the poses.

CERTAINLY, THE behind-the-scenes photographs and video give the impression that members of the Cyrus clan were willing participants. In fact, some have suggested they might have orchestrated the whole brouhaha in an attempt to shed Cyrus’ tween sensation image on route to a more adult persona.

Whether Cyrus has a career beyond Hannah Montana – a sitcom about a teenager who is leading a secret life as a pop star – depends on the depth of her talent as a singer and actress. She’s charming in the sitcom, which is mildly amusing in the sort of harmless way that "Facts of Life" or "Growing Pains" were in the 1980s. Her singing is adequate, but her songs are formulaic teen pop.

It is no wonder that she wants to break out of the mold. But is there no way to mature without going through the teen strumpet phase or worse, the full-blown, self-destruction that awaits so many former child stars as adults?

DISNEY IS no stranger to scandals involving its young starlets. "High School Musical" star Vanessa Anne Hudgens was embroiled in controversy when naked pictures taken by her co-star and off-screen boyfriend, Zac Efron, appeared on the Internet.

Hudgens and the "High School Musical" franchise appear to have weathered the storm. Although some of the audience – a group with rather fickle tastes – have moved on. The rule for teen stars seems to remain: One minute hot, the next minute not. Perhaps it’s been this way since the days of Tiger Beat magazine and Scott Baio.

Meanwhile, parents are left to search for the right words to explain rather grown-up concepts, like sexuality and body image, to Cyrus’ young fans. It’s a conversation that would have come up eventually, but perhaps not so quickly. Innocence lasts for such a short time in our culture.

Cyrus should continue to embrace her innocence. She should put her clothes back on. There are better ways to make the transition to adulthood than by inviting the leers of men old enough to know better.

Andrea Hopkins is opinion editor of the Bristol Herald Courier. She may be reached at ahopkins@bristolnews.com or (276) 645-2534.