"Tween" is a stupid, made-up word

I'd like to take a second to address the myth that Miley only appeals to so-called "tweens." First, "tween" is a made-up word, and as we all know, when the media goes through the trouble of making up a word, they are going to use it. I'm going to have to call the media on their bullshit here. I'm no child development expert, but in my experience the loss of childhood innocence tends to happen quickly. (Classic literature is full of such transformations.) There really isn't much room for the hazy middle zone called tweenhood that we're all being told exists.

Anyhow, Miley's songs appeal to both the innocent and experienced of the world. At the moment it sure seems that most of Miley's fans are younger teenage girls, but other key demographics are in love with her as well. I'll bet that more teenagers+twenty-somethings are into Miley than are into the Arcade Fire or whatever, but the music and popular press is too lazy to actually investigate such things.

I know Miley is going to transcend all of this in very short order, but I cannot help but be frustrated by the way the media insists on sticking her in one particular box.