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Former Disney Star Dishes on her Reputation: “I Wear My Empowerment at All Times. “

miley cyrus british vogue reputation
Credit: Disney

Having a Disney past is not always the easiest thing to carry. In the past, Disney stars have spoken out about the difficulties and challenges that come with working for Disney—usually as part of the Disney Channel—and the impact it’s had on them. Stars like Dove Cameron, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato have all shared their experiences working with Disney in the past. Selena Gomez has explained the impact the job had on her mental health; Dove Cameron shared how she didn’t fit in.

Miley Cyrus on the cover of British Vogue, June 2023/Steven Meisel/Vogue

Miley Cyrus on the cover of British Vogue, June 2023/Steven Meisel/Vogue

However, all of these stars have since shed their Disney image and are now thriving. And few more than Miley Cyrus.

The star who shot to fame for her role on Disney Channel show Hannah Montana, as a teenager who was living a double life as a famous pop star, has undoubtedly grown into fame. She will be gracing the covers of British Vogue in June this year, and the star dished on her reputation, her journey, and more, opening the interview with a secure and firm statement:

“One thing I wouldn’t want this story to become is a complaint of being a woman in the industry. I don’t need this to be a women’s empowerment story. I wear my empowerment at all times. I don’t need to profess it.”

hannah montana then and miley cyrus now

Miley Cyrus played Hannah Montana in the popular Disney Channel series.

“I’m actually not an attention-seeking person, sitting here as a 30-year-old grown woman,” Cyrus shared. In the interview, it’s clear that the Disney star has come a long way since her 20s and her Wrecking Ball and her “twerk-tastic performance” at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards. “I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played. Anyone, when you’re 20 or 21, you have more to prove. ‘I’m not my parents.’ ‘I am who I am.’”

Miley Cyrus for British Vogue/Credit: Steven Meisel/Vogue

Miley Cyrus for British Vogue/Credit: Steven Meisel/Vogue

While the singer and actress’s previous actions still hold water in the public consciousness even now, she carries more grace for herself.

“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she shared. “Now that I’m an adult, I realise how harshly I was judged. I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realise that I would never harshly judge a child.”

Cyrus’s entire interview is representative of a celebrity who has learned to find the balance between a life she was thrown into, and the life she has chosen for herself within those boundaries.

Hannah Montana sold out stadiums, but the Miley Cyrus of today has come a long way from the blonde wig. She asked, “Do I want to live my life for anyone else’s pleasure or fulfilment other than my own? And, you know what…”

The conclusion is evident.

You can read the full interview here!

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

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