Is Miley Cyrus Going to Jail in Mexico?

Miley Cyrus just got in a BUTT load of trouble during a recent performance in Monterrey, Mexico. (You'll understand that pun in 3, 2, 1...) Miley Cyrus' backup dancers used a Mexican flag to spank the giant prosthetic butt she's recently added to her tour wardrobe while she was on stage. In Mexico. During her performance. That was in Mexico. Did I mention she was in Mexico when she desecrated the Mexican flag? Yeah. It happened, and the Mexican government is none too pleased about it.

When word of the Mexican flag getting up close and personal with Cyrus' endlessly controversial behind got out, Mexican government officials were extremely upset. Local official Francisco Trevino said that they plan on enforcing the law that protects the Mexican flag from being used in such a way, and Cyrus or her team will face either $1,200 fines or a jail sentence of 36 hours. This isn't the first incident of Mexican authorities cracking down on an artist using the flag in what they view as a disrespectful way, either. They also fined singer Paulina Rubio in 2008 for posing in a photo shoot while wrapped in the country's flag and not much else. Yikes.

Granted, both artists' actions weren't the best, but does Cyrus really deserve to sit in jail over the incident? No. It was awful and unwise on her part, but Mexican officials are blowing it out of proportion. I'm sure she didn't do it with the intent of shaming all of Mexico while in the midst of a live performance in the same country. Judging by a video of the performance, it looks like the misuse of the flag was unplanned. A backup dancer, who was likely already carrying the flag, begins to hit Cyrus' fake butt with it in a way that looks improvised. The problem may have been that the flag just shouldn't have been on stage in the first place.

If Cyrus issues a genuine apology, in this situation that should be enough. And perhaps, in the future, no flags should be placed on or near the stage when Miley Cyrus performs.

Image: Miley Cyrus/Instagram