Miley Cyrus reveals meaning behind infamous 2008 Vanity Fair cover

Miley Cyrus has been taking a trip down memory lane with her "Used To Be Young," TikTok series inspired by her new song with the same title, and in the latest clip, she spoke about *that* controversial 2008 Vanity Fair cover.

Fifteen years on, the 30-year-old singer reflected on the cover she posed for as a 15-year-old at the time which saw her draped in a sheet and wearing red lipstick.

"Everybody knows the controversy of the photo, but they don't really know the behind-the-scenes, which is always much more meaningful," Cyrus explained.

The photos were shot by photographer Annie Leibovitz who also took snaps of Cyrus with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus as she recalled her family being on set with her during the shoot.

"My little sister Noah [Cyrus] was sitting on Annie's lap and actually pushing the button of the camera taking the pictures. My family was on set and this was the first time I ever wore red lipstick."

"Pati Dubroff, who did my makeup, thought that that would be another element that would divide me from Hannah Montana."

"This image of me is a complete opposite of the bubble gum pop star that I had been known for being...and that's what was so upsetting. But, really, really brilliant choices looking back now from those people."

In the interview, Cyrus was asked if she or Disney were nervous about the photo, to which she replied: "No, I mean I had a big blanket on. And I thought, This looks pretty, and really natural. I think it's really artsy."

However, there was backlash upon the publication of the cover which led to Disney making a statement on the matter.

"Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines," it said.

Meanwhile, Cyrus also issued a statement in response where she apologised to her fans for the cover too.

“I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic,’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,” she said at the time.

“I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologise to my fans, who I care so deeply about.”

A decade on from this, Cyrus took back her initial apology by posting a 2008 cover of the New York Post that featured her with the headline: "Miley's Shame. Here's wholesome Hannah Montana as you never expected to see her."

Cyrus wrote in the 2018 tweet: “I’M NOT SORRY…F*** YOU #10yearsago"

It's not the first time, Cyrus has reflected on this particular moment in her career as she spoke to British Vogue back in June this year about how the experience affected her.

“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she said.

"Now that I’m an adult, I realise how harshly I was judged,” she added. “I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realise that I would never harshly judge a child.”

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