Miley Cyrus reflects on 'controversy' around 'upsetting' Vanity Fair cover

Miley Cyrus is continuing to reflect on her life and career – including that Vanity Fair cover from 2008 that sparked controversy.

Cyrus, 30, recalled the notable cover image in her new TikTok series, titled "Used To Be Young" after her latest single. The singer and "Hannah Montana" star, then-15, covered Vanity Fair's June 2008 issue in an image taken by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, appearing topless and wrapped in a sheet with windswept hair and 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 said in the video posted Wednesday.

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

Cyrus was making waves starring as a pop singer with a double life as the title character on Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana" before the cover shoot, which propelled her to another level of fame.

Cyrus was also launching a singing career that was both intertwined and attempting to be separate from her Disney image, so the cover photo makeup choice was a deliberate one, she said. "Pati Dubroff, who did my makeup, thought that that would be another element that would divide me from Hannah Montana."

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Cyrus initially praised the image at the time, saying in a caption of the photo associated with the story: "I think it's really artsy. It wasn't in a skanky way. Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought that was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie. She's so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you're like, 'OK.' "

After the photos and story released days later, the Disney star had a different outlook. "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 in a statement to USA TODAY at the time issued by her publicist, Jill Fritzo. "I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

Disney Channel also issued a statement in the days following: "Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Vanity Fair defended the cover at the time, noting that Cyrus' family and team were present at the shoot.

Now, Cyrus can appreciate the moment despite the fervor it caused 15 years ago.

"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," Cyrus said in the TikTok. "But, really, really brilliant choices looking back now from those people."

Reflecting on childhood fame: Miley Cyrus says she and dad Billy Ray Cyrus have 'wildly different' relationships to fame

Contributing: Lorena Blas, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair cover: Singer reflects on 2008 topless photo