Miley Cyrus, the 15-year-old actress and singer who stars as Disney's Hannah Montana, is making an apology for photos appearing in Vanity Fair. Cyrus says she is "embarrassed" by the pictures celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz took of her.
However, the cogs of the Disney PR machine started turning and the Disney Channel has now released a statement saying, "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Cyrus has since echoed a similar statement to People magazine. "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.
More on the Miley Cyrus and Vanity Fair Photos:
Vanity Fair and Leibovitz stand by the photos. They've even posted a behind the scenes video of the photo shoot with a statement on the magazine's Web site that, "the nefarious photo shoot that has parents threatening to host Hannah Montana bonfire parties was actually a relaxed family event."
A spokesperson for the magazine told Entertainment Tonight, "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural photo of Miley."
The photos appear alongside an interview with Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. However, the photo controversy has taken center stage and swept the Internet with posts calling for parents to be concerned, a Disney boycott and even a bonfire of everything Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus.
Does Disney face a PR backlash over the photos? Share your opinion on this controversy.
- Will There Be a PR Backlash?: Share Your Opinion
- Behind the Scenes: Cyrus Photo Shoot Video
- See the Photo: The Cyrus Picture in Question
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However, the cogs of the Disney PR machine started turning and the Disney Channel has now released a statement saying, "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Cyrus has since echoed a similar statement to People magazine. "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.
More on the Miley Cyrus and Vanity Fair Photos:
Vanity Fair and Leibovitz stand by the photos. They've even posted a behind the scenes video of the photo shoot with a statement on the magazine's Web site that, "the nefarious photo shoot that has parents threatening to host Hannah Montana bonfire parties was actually a relaxed family event."
A spokesperson for the magazine told Entertainment Tonight, "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural photo of Miley."
The photos appear alongside an interview with Cyrus and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. However, the photo controversy has taken center stage and swept the Internet with posts calling for parents to be concerned, a Disney boycott and even a bonfire of everything Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus.
Does Disney face a PR backlash over the photos? Share your opinion on this controversy.
I think this will hurt Miley Cyrus more than it will hurt Disney. I remember when Britney posed for Rolling Stone and the big fuss over those pictures with parents. When you have someone as marketable as Miley Cyrus and given her age, you have to be extra careful about what she’s doing. If her parents really were on the photo shoot location, her dad especially should have known what a photo like that could do to her image since she has been so squeaky clean with her image to kids up until now.
How stupid are Miley Cyrus and her father? Why in the world would they say yes to a single thing that would endanger her good girl image? I am surprised Disney has not required her to have an official disney minder with her 24/7. As soon as the photographer asked for a photo like that, they should have hit the door and ended everything. Only an idiot would put so much at risk for absolutely nothing.
My husband thinks this is a PR tactic designed to make her even more famous. We had a friendly debate last night because I disagree.
With Jamie Lynn Spears being a teen mom and the nude photos of Vanessa Hudgens, the wholesome teens our kids are looking up to are dwindling fast. Miley Cyrus was the one shining star that had such a good image. I think that image is tarnished.
This controversy cracks me up. Those pictures are in no way risqué. She shows absolutely nothing in the photos. Miley has to grow up sometime and incidentally her image.
“She has to grow up some time”??? She’s 15, previous poster!
It is not like she’s wearing a bathing suit. She doesn’t have on a shirt and she’s wrapped in a sheet. That is way too suggestive for a 15 year old. Add that to her goody goody image for the Disney channel and no wonder parents are upset.
Tell me what kind of image these photos give young girls who look up to her? Miley is supposed to be a role model and Disney is right to bristle over these photos. She’s not even old enough to drive!
It is absolutely NOT okay to inevitably SEXUALIZE every female child star as soon as humanly possible. People are entitled to post, but I wonder why on earth responders to this article who write this is “okay” because she is “fifteen” and “has to grow up” think that the aforementioned statement I made is just a good-old accepted American premise. Sexualize & exploit those girls (CHILDREN) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! How many people of this opinion have young daughters? This is not an acceptable inevitable “so be it” avenue of action for fifteen year old daughters.
As a mother, I am still irritated by every bit of this celebrity business that takes a younger star – glamorizes all their success then when things go wrong they train wreck. If they were grounded to begin with this kind of thing would not happen. Greed……….
If she is going to do this crap – get out of Disney. She has too many little girls and pre-teens looking up to her to set a crappy example. Already, I won’t be suprised when/if her pic is standing beside some sleazoid celebutante in some SUV outside of a club somewhere flashing her crotch to paparrazi – - – Good grief! Is the writing on the wall or what?
Can you see me rolling my eyes?
I must say – I do care more about the cost of rising gas and the fact that if Hillary gets in office and goes for the universal health care do you think the policy she would fight for for me would be just like her own personal health care? I doubt it – so why should I give her my vote – her benefits are taken care of. I think I am tired of hearing about Obama and his pastor — I just heard yesterday as a child he was registered a muslim in his public school history…………. McCain wants to let in all the foreigners who could potentially bomb us or be a threat to our country?? I am more hyped about the fact that I think I am going to have to write in Ross Perot at election time than I am about Miley Cyrus and her cheap looking photos that are only the beginning………………. !!!!!!
It’s child pornography. If some man was caught with this on his computer, he’d have gone to jail by now. It’s suggestive and explicit that there are no clothes on her upper torso. She’s a child and her parents should be ashamed.
Hubba Hubba i bet a whole lot of other guys are going to watch this
when is the next photo shoot?
Well, another website where I have to fight with online idiots who think any photo depicting nudity or in this case, a bare back is considered sexual. I can’t even count how many websites I’ve been to, fighting with people about how I feel about this issue. I’ll try and type calmly if possible. First of all, I am a nudist and as a nudist, nude is not lewd in my beliefs. Of course, that goes with non-sexual situations and people can be nude in non-sexual situations. If Miley were to be all nude for Annie Leibovitz, I would have said it was nudism and naturally nude. That’s what I said when I saw Vanessa’s nude photo. If Miley ever poses nude, I’m gonna say the same thing as I said about Vanessa. I don’t have a problem with nudity. How many times on so many websites do I have to repeat myself until people actually listen and not call me names or think of me as a pervert/pedophile/creep, etc.?
My rant started with Vanessa Hudgens’ nude photo “scandal” to Miley’s bikini pictures, to her innocent “lesbian” photos to Lindsay Lohan’s nude photoshoot to Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy to Miley’s “naughty” pictures to her bra flashing photo and finally, Vanity Fair’s photoshoot. Whew! This has been going on for months. That’s why I’m on edge when I leave comments now.
Yea, I dunno..