Miley Cyrus reflects on how everything fell apart in 2013: ‘They didn't want a woman whose sexual expression…'

Indian Express

a day ago

Miley Cyrus recently sat down for a one-hour interview with political activist Monica Lewinsky, opening up about several aspects of her life. She spoke about her latest album, Something Beautiful, her messy family situation, and revealed working on a song called 'The Secrets' dedicated to her father after years of estrangement. Miley also touched on the heavy price of fame, describing herself as someone who was chosen, not someone who chased it.
But what really stood out was her raw take on how her relationships fell apart during the Bangerz era. Miley was heavily criticised for her provocative image, skimpy outfits, bold performances, and unapologetic behaviour during that time. The Grammy Winner said nobody wanted to date a woman whose sexual expression had already been plastered all over the world.
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During the interview, the 'Flowers' singer reflected on how her perspective has shifted over time and how she's approaching life with a new sense of maturity, something she's been pretty vocal about in her recent podcast appearances too. But as she revisited her past, she admitted, 'I lost everything during that time in my personal life because of the choices I was making professionally.' Telling Lewinsky, 'My 2013 is your 1998,' Miley described how flaunting her body on stage, the bold photoshoots, and the way she dressed triggered a chain reaction in both her personal and professional life. 'If I kept dressing or acting a certain way, my relationships fell apart,' she said, adding, 'No one wanted to date me because they didn't want to be with a woman whose sexual expression was shared with the world.' She even discussed how the infamous 'penis cake' incident involving her then-boyfriend ended up costing her a job. She pointed out that the joke wasn't even public and that her backpack was stolen with the camera in it. She was left devastated and told her team she wouldn't come up from the pool until they got her film back.
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She recalled even her own siblings were humiliated by the headlines and at one point even started skipping school out of embarrassment. Her brother once told her, 'I don't judge you, but you can understand how hard it is for me to go to school and you be my sister.' Her relationship with her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, also took a hit. She found it tough to even look him in the eye. Going back home and facing her family became deeply uncomfortable and embarrassing for her. Miley was engaged to Liam Hemsworth at the time, but that relationship eventually broke down too. 'I was sharing a part of myself that men wanted to be saved for them only,' the singer said. 'And the fact that I would pose nude or dance in very little clothes or show my body was making them feel like I was taking something away that was meant to be for them,' she added. Four years later, she released her album Younger Now to 'tone down' her image, wishing that being more 'innocent' would help maintain a 'happy home.'
Miley Cyrus also opened up about her infamous family drama after her parents' divorce in 2022. 'We're so messy, we didn't even do any of that,' she said, adding, 'Just to get each other into a room to get to counselling would have been a war.' But, now, after years of estrangement, Miley said she had to take matters into her own hands. 'I just kind of busted through the pile that was stacked and just went, 'I'm here, you're here, let's start by having a good time together.''