Teen sensation Miley Cyrus has apologized to her fans for a series of provocative photos, some of which surfaced on the Internet earlier this week and others taken for Vanity Fair, in which the 15-year-old singer appears to be nude.
The Disney Channel star was criticized earlier in the week when a series of racy photos featuring Cyrus lying with her boyfriend with her midriff revealed were leaked onto the Web. (They're of the mildly skanky, but ultimately harmless, MySpace variety, so no link for you!)
The Vanity Fair photos, which are in the issue hitting newsstands this week, were taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz and picture Cyrus wrapped with a blanket in a way that makes the singer/actress appear to be topless. Vanity Fair's own slideshow of the shoot shows that both of Miley's parents were present, although ET dug up some screenshots that indicate that the photos' risqué qualities might have come out in the editing.
Cyrus addressed both sets of photos in a statement to People, saying, "My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy…. 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."
The Disney Channel, which broadcasts Cyrus' Hannah Montana, said in a separate statement that Cyrus was clothed beneath the blanket, but that the magazine "deliberately [manipulated] a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."
Cyrus said she will learn from the experience and that she hopes her fans understand that "along the way I am going to make mistakes…. I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone."
On Today this morning, ad guru Donny Deutsch and humorist Nancy Giles asked if Cyrus, Vanity Fair or both had gone too far. Watch the vid and then post your comments below.
So what do you think? Was Miley "manipulated"? Or were we? — Adam Bryant
I haven't scene the photos cause I really don't care about Miley Cyrus, but nobody can manipulate you without your consent. She had to be aware of what was going, and her parents were there so they definately should have realized what was going on!
I think they were probably convinced by Leibovitz that it would be the cool thing to do, appear on Vanity Fair looking like that, cause like everyone does it, and now they are realizing what a bad idea it was and they're doing damage control.
Who cares anyway, She's not nude and if she were its not anyones fault but her loser parents. Hell Her dad has no career and never did, He had one trashy no good song and now he uses his daughter to try and be famous again. Too bad tho she is an ok actress and there is no reason for any of this it seems to be bigger news than the fact we are paying more money per gallon of gas than we are anything else like milk, orange juice, apple juice and even a gallon of Italian dressing is cheaper than gas so ya lets talk about the ok actress and her loser father.
Ah, Miley, if everyone had raved about the pictures, you wouldn't be embarrassed at all.
Really, I think it would be anyone's dream to be photographed by Annie Leibovitz, and it's ridiculous to smear this uber-talented woman's name by suggesting she had any part in manipulating a 15-year-old whose parents were present. The parents could have insisted on less provocative pictures, but they were likely testing the waters and seeing how much they could push the envelope to further their daughter's career.
It's not her "boyfriend" she's leaning against, it's her dad.
My guess is that they were thrilled to be photographed by Annie Lebowitz and trusted her judgment and then Vanity Fair picked the ones that came across as racey.
Gee, after all of her other racy pics that she took of herself posing in her bra and panties and posing provactively with her boyfriend that are all over the internet, isn't this hoopla all just a little ridiculous now? Suddenly this photo spread is embarassing? Whatever, hypocrite.
For the Vanity Fair photos, Miley's parents were present. What does that tell you? Her dad certainly should have known better, and certainly, he did. Miley is being used for $$$$$, and by her own parents.
As for the "You Tube," kids just playing around--not to worry.
