Miley Cyrus Offends Asian-Rights Group With Slanted-Eyes Photo

After a series of scandals involving photographs on the Internet, you'd think that "Hannah Montana" star Miley Cyrus would be careful about the photos she poses for. But the Disney superstar is in hot water again, this time for a snapshot that leaked online late Monday in which she is pictured pulling at the corners of her eyes in a mock-Asian gesture amid a group of squinting friends, including an unidentified person of Asian descent.

George Wu, executive director of the national Asian Pacific American nonprofit OCA released a statement on Monday in which he criticized the 16-year-old singer for her actions.

"The photograph of Miley Cyrus and other individuals slanting their eyes currently circulating the Internet is offensive to the Asian Pacific American community and sets a terrible example for her many young fans," Wu said. "This image falls within a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent. Not only has Miley Cyrus and the other individuals in the photograph encouraged and legitimized the taunting and mocking of people of Asian descent, she has also insulted her many Asian Pacific American fans."

And, despite the fact that one of the men pictured in the photo appears to be of Asian descent, Wu said that alone does not make the gesture "acceptable." The OCA called for Cyrus -- who recently performed at the "Kids' Inaugural" concert in Washington, D.C. -- to apologize to her fans and the Asian Pacific American community for her "lapse in judgment."

A spokesperson for Cyrus had not responded to requests for comment at press time.

Last summer, the Spanish Olympic basketball team was similarly ridiculed for making the gesture in a series of team photos, as was the Spanish tennis team. source>>>

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