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Annie Leibovitz Defends Provocative Miley Cyrus Photos

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Updated on July 6, 2023

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Annie Leibovitz, the photographer who captured provocative images of Miley Cyrus for Vanity Fair’s June edition, is defending her portrayal of the 15-year-old star.

“I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted,” the celebrity photographer said in a written statement. “Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.”

Leibovitz’s comments came after the 15-year-old singer issued a public apology late Sunday, claiming she is “embarrassed” by two sets of sensual images, including ones taken by Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine.

“My goal in my music and my acting is always to make people happy,” Cyrus stated in a written statement. “For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie.

“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.

Only a few weeks ago, photographs of the celebrity laying over a boy’s lap and provocatively revealing her green bra leaked on the internet. And now with a Vanity Fair picture in which Cyrus appears topless, covered in what appears to be a satin bedsheet, glancing over her shoulder with her back exposed, the stakes have been raised.

Following the publication of the Vanity Fair photo spread and article, the Disney Channel released a statement criticizing the magazine.

“Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” according to the statement.

Vanity Fair spokesperson Beth Kseniak also defended the images, which are available on the magazine’s website and will appear in the June edition.

“Miley’s parents and/or minders were on the set all day,” Kseniak said in a written statement. “Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley. In fact, when [Vanity Fair writer] Bruce Handy interviewed Miley, he asked her about the photo and she was very cheerful about it and thought it was perfectly fine.”

Leibovitz has made a career out of shooting celebrities. One of her most famous photographs is of a nude John Lennon wrapped around a clothed Yoko Ono, which she took the day he was shot and murdered.

Mikey recently retracted her apology for the photos.