Miley Cyrus opens up about carrying 'guilt and shame' over past controversies
Miley Cyrus opened up about having carried "guilt and shame" in her life because of the many controversies that surrounded her in her yesteryears.
The Hollywood star first rose to prominence as a Disney actress on the 2006 teen sitcom Hannah Montana. As she grew older, however, she eventually broke away from it and showed the world that she had a lot more things to offer beyond her iconic Disney role, which ended in 2011.
Her music video for her 2013 song Wrecking Ball, for instance, showed a nude Cyrus swinging on a wrecking ball and licking a sledgehammer. The world was divided over it, with some slamming it for its provocative imagery and others acknowledging it as a form of self-expression and individuality.
It didn't help that she also popularized the twerking dance craze when she did it at the MTV Video Music Awards in the same year.
In a recent interview with British Vogue, Cyrus had the opportunity to reflect on the matter and confessed that she felt some shame over the controversies she stirred at the time.
"I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused," she said.
All of that, however, has changed now that she's an adult. "I realize how harshly I was judged. I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realize that I would never harshly judge a child."
The singer and actress shared that she opted to change her persona because she wanted to step away from her parents' shadow, particularly her father Billy Ray, who has made a name for himself as a country singer. He also starred with his daughter in Hannah Montana, playing as her character's father on the show.
"I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played," Cyrus told the magazine. "Anyone, when you’re 20 or 21, you have more to prove. 'I’m not my parents, I am who I am.'"
Making time for self-care and surrounding herself with her nearest and dearest have helped her get through difficult moments.
"I make choices that I’m proud of that protect me. I put my mental and physical health before a paycheck. I freed up space for myself to be with friends and family doing what I love, which is working out, eating well, learning ways about how to enhance my life, staying dedicated to practices and protocols that are specifically designed for me," Cyrus said as she read an entry from her diary.
The American star shared that she is now keeping herself busy with new music she's looking to release soon. Aside from Wrecking Ball, her other hit songs include Party in the USA, We Can't Stop, and Flowers.
