We are happy to say this post is not just another chance to talk about the evils of twerking. It's about a little person who dressed up as a bear and danced behind Miley Cyrus at her controversial MTV Video Music Awards performance.
A 24-year-old actress, under the screen name bluest_blue, participated in a Reddit AMA with some surprisingly well-intentioned Redditors and got a chance to weigh in on Miley, why she agreed to the job and how little people are portrayed in the media. Here's what we learned:
1. She had more face time with Robin Thicke than Miley.
MacDagger187: Did you have any personal interactions with Miley?
bluest_blue: I had more with Robin Thicke. He was actually a really nice guy, introduced himself to all of us. She was a lot more aloof and didn't really interact with us
2. Everybody involved knew what was about to go down.
lovelystargazer: How much of it was Miley freestyling? Also how did Robin Thicke feel about her performance?
bluest_blue: Most of it was pretty planned. They both knew in rehearsals exactly what they were going to be doing. Robin seemed very onboard and even suggested some of the moves. That being said, his wife and son were there the entire time...
3. She regrets her involvement.
IsTheNameTaylorTaken: Was the money worth it?
bluest_blue: No.
4. She says she learned from the experience, and also got to meet 2 Chainz. (Bonus!)
erosion: How has being part of this performance impacted your life?
bluest_blue: It's forced me to learn where my line is drawn when it comes to what I will do for money. It taught me that no amount of money is worth my self-worth. (And I got to meet 2Chainz so...not all that bad).
5. The other bears, possibly, have no regrets.
BuyMeLotsOfDiamonds: Did the other LP performers share your views (i.e. did they regret agreeing to a performance where their height was being used as some kind of joke)?
bluest_blue: If any from Miley's performance did, they haven't mentioned it to me. The girls who are on tour with her now are really upset by what I have to say. But frankly, it's just my opinion. If that's what they want to do and they feel comfortable doing it, that's their own business. I just feel that it's not doing society's idea of little people any justice.
6. She's gotten backlash for speaking out about her feelings.
bluest_blue: They feel like I am bashing their line of work and "hating" on them. They basically attacked me on Facebook and seemed to refuse to understand that I was stating my personal opinion. I'm not trying to get an angry mob after anyone by any means. Just trying to bring an issue to light.
7. Those bear costumes were really hot.
SupaPhly: How many ounces of sweat did you produce during the performance?
bluest_blue: It was disgusting. If you've ever done P90X or Insanity, take that sweat and multiply it by 5.
8. It wasn't exactly what she thought she's be doing.
slapFIVE: How did you end up working your way up to where you are now in your career? I'm sure you didn't say, "Hey, forget the stars, I'm shooting for a dancing gig as a bear behind a twerking, tongue out, Cynthia-doll-looking Miley Cyrus!" Are you a backup dancer normally or something?
bluest_blue: No, I'm an actress and this just came to me as a gig and I thought it would be fun. Going into it, they didn't exactly explain what we would be doing, so I thought it would be more like what the LA Bakers did onstage (the girls with the bears on their backs). I had no idea it would be so...different.
9. One Direction was "shocked" and Terry Richardson was "thrilled" by the performance.
fenny13 137: Did you see the faces in the audience? What was the crowd reaction?
bluest_blue: I basically couldn't see anything except directly in front of me. The masks were extremely uncomfortable and very hard to do anything in. That being said, I saw some members of One Direction backstage and they looked shocked. Terry Richardson was also backstage and he was thrilled which isn't surprising.
10. She thinks Miley is talented, but that she's just had too much freedom and money thrown at her.
MellaX 164: What do you think of Miley in general?
bluest_blue: I think she is a 20 year old kid who has been given a lot of money and freedom. To be fair, I don't think anyone is super proud of how they act/behave in their 20's, she just happens to have a platform to demonstrate immaturity. That being said, I think the girl can SING.
Bonus: Bear puns. Bear puns EVERYWHERE.
thisisallpractice: How do you bear with it?
bluest_blue: It's been tough...sometimes my ideas get a little fuzzy...but ya know, you catch more bees with honey.
Find the full AMA here.
Drew DiSabatino is a viral writer for iVillage. Follow him on Twitter and Google+.
A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.