Miley Cyrus says she stopped wearing bikinis after being mocked for nude bodysuit performance at VMAs

“I think what was so hard about it was my brand has always been about being so unapologetically myself and being confident, and the worse thing that I would feel like I would be to my fans is lying or a fraud”
UPDATED MAR 20, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

With coronavirus spreading rapidly, many people around the world are practicing self-quarantine, including many celebrities. One among them is 'Wrecking Ball' hitmaker Miley Cyrus, who has gone into isolation but is making sure to connect with her fans even if she is away. The American singer-songwriter has started a Monday to Friday Instagram live stream called “Bright Minded” where she along with other celebrity guests talk about issues important in their lives.

During Tuesday's live chat show with fellow child-star Demi Lovato, Cyrus discussed her infamous 2013 VMAs twerking performance. The actress also talked about the body image issues she faced after the 2013 performance that also featured Robin Thicke.

She said: “I basically went through two or three years where I wouldn’t wear shorts. I stopped wearing skirts on stage, all this s*** because after the VMAs and I had on my cute little nude bodysuit, everyone started comparing me to a turkey and putting a turkey in my outfit.

“I was just so skinny and so pasty and they kept putting me next to this turkey, and I was feeling so bad on myself that I did not wear a bikini for like two years and no one thought that that would ever made me feel some type of way.”

The 27-year-old continued, “I think what was so hard about it was my brand has always been about being so unapologetically myself and being confident, and the worse thing that I would feel like I would be to my fans is lying or a fraud.”

Cyrus’ performance at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards became notorious as she sang and danced in a fuzzy bodysuit and a set of latex underwear. During the show, in her carefree attitude, the ‘Hannah Montana’ star waggled her tongue and twerked against the 43-year-old singer, who was performing alongside on stage in his monochrome striped suit.

However, after the show, Cyrus received a lot of negative criticism. A number of images emerged comparing her to a raw turkey given the dull color of her costume.

Lovato who made an appearance in Tuesday's live show also talked about body image issues and her struggles with eating disorders. She said that she used to wear multiple pairs of tights to make her look perfect, and always felt lack of role models while being young in Hollywood.

“I kind of made a vow to myself that when I get older I just wanna represent what I didn’t have, and I want to be that for somebody. I’ve talked about my struggles with food and stuff, and yeah, I’m glad that I did because it’s brought me and my fans closer. It, I feel like, helped young people learn to accept their bodies when it starts to change,” the singer added.

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