Miley Cyrus is at that tender age where you want to be older more than anything in the world. You remember what it was like to be in the 14-16 range, where you knew you would instantly be so much cooler and life would be so much better if you were only 18? Well not only is Miley still in that place (she’s 16), but she’s got loads of fame, money, and power, which means her moments of acting more adult than she should sometimes end up in front of the entire world.

Excellent example: last night at the Teen Choice Awards, Miley performed her newest single “Party in the U.S.A.” According to MTV, the theme of the performance was “Blinged out trailer park,” or something of that nature. Miley emerges from a trailer, dances around on the “trailer trash set,” sings that annoyingly catchy little ditty that I now can’t get out of my head, and then walks over to an ice cream pushcart. What can possibly go wrong?

Miley Cyrus is a teen star with a wholesome image. But there was nothing innocent about her dance routine at the Teen Choice Awards last night. Dressed in micro shorts, black leather biker boots and wearing piles of jewellery, the 16-year-old appeared older than her years as she cavorted around a pole onstage.

Perhaps Miley, the star of Hannah Montana, was hoping to charm an older audience than her loyal teenage fanclub. She is currently filming her break-out movie role The Last Song, which is seen as a vehicle to introduce her to an older audience.

Although already a multi-millionaire from her successful careers as a pop star and TV and movie actress, Miley is now hoping to translate her success as a Disney star into a long-term career. Last night was an undeniable triumph for Miley, who picked up no less than six awards, all voted for by her teenage fans.

She won surfboards for comedy TV actress and comedy TV show for Hannah Montana, music/dance movie actress and hissy fit for the Hannah Montana movie, music single for The Climb and summer song for Before the Storm.

[From the Daily Mail]

Someone in the audience was brave enough to film Miley’s performance, so it’s all over the internet even though the show isn’t being broadcast until tonight. Miley grates on my nerves a bit, but I honestly have to defend her here. Was it necessary or appropriate to have a kid her age dancing against a pole? No. Is it nearly as gratuitous as a lot of articles are making it out to be? No. For the majority of the time she’s with the pole, she’s note “pole dancing” with it. I’d say she does that four times total: once at the beginning and three times at the end before she walks off to another part of the set.

Her parents and everyone else involved should have been smarter than to let her do that. And I think it makes it really clear the people in her life are all about her career and helping her successfully transition into the adult showbiz arena. It was a poor, poor choice. But it’s not insanely inappropriate, like her “Vanity Fair” topless shoot. Britney Spears shocked a lot of people with her teenage performances, and I’d say Miley’s little dance is on par with that, but not worse. But still definitely not a good decision. And while it might earn her a little more attention now, I don’t think it’ll do her any favors in the long run. It just makes her look like that proverbial little kid trying to act like a grownup.

Let’s not forget the Cyrus family has a history of letting their young daughters pole dance. Dlisted has photos of 9-year-old Noah Cyrus and her little friends at a pre-party for the Teen Choice Awards posing with a pole while outfitted in…. I don’t even know how to describe it. Tween ho gear, I guess.

Here’s Miley (with sister Leticia and singer Fergie) at the arrival for the Teen Choice Awards. Images thanks to WENN.com and Fame Pictures .