Miley Cyrus vs. Vanity Fair: Is this really a scandal?
Everyone connected to the Miley Cyrus ‘‘nude’’ photo controversy is unhappy.
The folks at Vanity Fair magazine are miffed because the relatively tame ‘‘artsy’’ shots of the ‘‘Hannah Montana’’ star — appearing in the upcoming issue of the magazine — were totally cleared by the star’s parents ‘‘and/or minders’’ who were on hand for the entire photo shoot with famed celebrity photographer Annie Leibowitz.
(Annie Leibovitz exclusively for Vanity Fair)
Cyrus herself has had second thoughts — releasing a statement through her publicist indicating she now feels ‘‘so embarrassed,’’ as her enormous legion of fans worries she’s turning into another Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan.
‘‘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,’’ Cyrus says in a statement through her publicist. ‘‘I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.’’
‘‘In this post-Britney and Lindsay period, every young star who has a meteoric rise like Miley will undergo ongoing scrutiny by the public,’’ longtime Hollywood image consultant and stylist Helen Bauerman told me today. ‘‘In this case you also have the ‘Disney factor’ at work too. ... It’s vital for them that Miley’s image remain true to that wholesome image.’’
As for the Disney Channel — where Cyrus’ ‘‘Hannah Montana’’ show is a huge success — they issued a statement blasting Vanity Fair for ‘‘a situation created ... to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines.’’
Yet Vanity Fair editors also quoted Miley in a photo caption — released with the photo last week, promoting the upcoming interview with her and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus:
‘‘I think it’s really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way. Annie took, like a beautitul shot, and I thought that was really cool,’’ Miley is quoted as saying about the photo.
Leibovitz herself reacted to the hubub this afternoon: ‘‘I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,’’ she said in a statement released by Vanity Fair. ‘‘Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.’’
At the end of the day, one photo is not going to make or break Miley Cyrus’ career — nor kill her impressionable tween and teen audience base.
Cyrus remains one of the biggest — and most G-rated — acts in the country and is often considered a role model for young girls. Her ‘‘Best of Both Worlds’’ tour sold out arenas, and her successful 3-D concert film collected $31.3 million in its opening weekend in February.
But as long as she continues to conduct herself sensibly (though she is beginning to be seen on the nightclub scene!) — and keeps putting out G-rated TV shows and music — this all will blow over quickly.
Contributing: AP
