Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance seemed to capture a lot of attention from viewers all around the world.

Here was a former child star for Disney, a symbol of youth for many, whose outrageous clothing (or lack thereof) even outdid Lady Gaga. Granted, her song “We Can’t Stop” is about how much she likes to party and can’t be told to stop, but even that does not really require twerking on Robin Thicke and ripping her clothes off to make a good performance.

Personally, I couldn’t even finish the video. It was that bad, in almost every conceivable way. I felt the need to already start protecting my future daughter from things like this, and I have no idea if she will even exist. I was borderline horrified at the very thought of it being on live national TV.

It’s no secret that sex has become a prominent symbol in our society, and every time it seems like the envelope can’t be pushed much further, someone gets creative. The thing is, it gets attention.

A lot of Lady Gaga’s hype and popularity can be contributed to her crazy and wild antics, as the anticipation for what she is going to do next helps keep her name relevant. Janet Jackson and the infamous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction” forced the halftime show to be on tape-delay. And now Miley, in an effort to “grow up” and be significant, does her train wreck of a VMA performance.

One of the most unfortunate results of Miley’s actions is her loss of credibility and any legitimate future possibility of being a role model. Cyrus had a perfect opportunity as current popstar and a former child star who a lot of kids grew up watching, to be an example for young women and conduct herself with class and dignity.

Instead, in a plea for attention and desire to be seen as sexy, she threw away her chance to be a positive model to be just another object of desire. Girls today already face an unfair amount of pressure to be desirable without becoming reduced to mere objects, and Cyrus essentially made a statement that kind of action is not only tolerable but also sought-after.

I’ll never know what was going through her head that would justify her performance, but my heart still breaks for her. I can’t imagine how it would feel as her dad or brother to see her on the stage. The attention that she undoubtedly knew she would receive has been for all the wrong reasons and for sending the exact opposite message that needed to be heard.

Hopefully some good will be able to come from her video. Parents and mentors can use this as a prompt to action in letting their daughters know acts like these aren’t necessary to draw attention. Even if Miley can’t be a positive role model after her performance, she can at least be an example of what not to do.