Miley Cyrus: From Disney Starlet to Provocative Pop Icon

Moments like these don’t exist much today. It must be said that the time is no longer the same. In 2013, Miley Cyrus returned to the front of the stage after three successful albums but still slathered in Disney sauce. The face of the famous television channel with Mickey’s ears, Miley Cyrus was adored in the role of Hannah Montana for six seasons. But all good things must come to an end… And the beast begins to roar inside the singer and actress. How do you get rid once and for all of Disney’s dripping image of morality?

Read also : ELLE debriefs: Miley Cyrus, from Disney starlet to rebel princess

Miley Cyrus knows she has to hit hard. She will then take the example of her peers, other popstars who have gone through this crucial stage in a career: Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. While there was still time, they made a radical switch in their image and in their music. Britney Spears, all oiled up, will dance with a boa singing the sulphurous lyrics of “I’m A Slave 4 U”, while XTina will wear very sexy outfits and wiggle in the ring of “Dirrty” with piercings on the whole face. Yes, Miley Cyrus knows she’s going to have to get dirty to make it to the adult side of the force. This is perfect since his fourth album “Bangerz” tackles a whole bunch of subjects that will make Puritan Americans jump.

© Getty Images

An outfit that “made a lot of people angry”

Obviously, before the advent of TikTok and even Instagram, the passage on television was a crucial step to promote his new album. The first single “We Can’t Stop” is already a hit with the younger generation and Miley Cyrus just has to drive the point home with a performance that will go down in history. On August 24, 2013, during the MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus, metamorphosed, peroxide-shaved hair and wearing two kikis on her head, arrived on stage in a not-so-childish teddy bear outfit.

A gigantic teddy bear/robot made by the artist Todd James sits on the stage, then opens like a spaceship to reveal the singer, very (very) dynamic on the set. She sings her song in lascivious poses, sticks out her tongue and does her famous twerk against dancers and other life-size bear cubs… If the public sees it as an unforgivable provocation, Miley Cyrus, she will specify ten years later to our colleagues of “Vogue”, that it was an allegory of his rebirth: “The bear made me think of myself for a reason that I cannot explain, I found it magnificent, I made making by Todd James my own custom bear that I could be in at the start of the performance. And coming out of the latter, it was a rebirth. »

Looking back, Miley Cyrus is still as amazed by the disproportionate reactions to this staging and the outfit she wore. “The suit was hugely controversial and angered a lot of people. I repeat, this teddy bear costume made a lot of people angry, ”she quips in front of the camera. An outfit so iconic that Paris Hilton will dress up in it for the 2013 Halloween party. Miley Cyrus will follow up with a duet with singer Robin Thicke, a cover of her hit “Blurred Lines”, which will perhaps be the part the most chaotic of this performance. Miley Cyrus makes a quick change of outfit to reveal herself in flesh-colored latex underwear with an XXL foam hand as an accessory. With this item, she won’t hesitate to come and touch the singer’s private parts and simulate sexual acts… In short, pop culture like we don’t do anymore, right?

© Getty Images