The former Disney star reveals that growing up on the set of 'Hannah Montana' led to her issues with self-confidence.
- Aug 15, 2015
AceShowbiz - Miley Cyrus compares "Hannah Montana" to "Toddlers & Tiaras". As her cover story for Marie Claire's latest issue is fully revealed, the now-22-year-old singer/actress opens up on her struggle with body image during her time on the Disney family show.
"From the time I was 11, it was, 'You're a pop star! That means you have to be blonde, and you have to have long hair, and you have to put on some glittery tight thing.' Meanwhile, I'm this fragile little girl playing a 16-year-old in a wig and a ton of makeup," she says. "It was like Toddlers & Tiaras. I had f**king flippers."
She continues, "I was told for so long what a girl is supposed to be from being on that show. I was made to look like someone that I wasn't, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn't on that show, it was like, Who the f**k am I?"
"I would have anxiety attacks. I'd get hot flashes, feel like I was about to pass out or throw up. It would happen a lot before shows, and I'd have to cancel," she adds. "I would be with my friends, thinking, I should be having so much fun. You get in this hole that seems like you're never going to be able to get out of."
Miley recalls, "Every morning, I was getting coffee jammed down my throat to wake me up. I just had to keep going, be tough, be strong." She says "everything happened to me on that set," including her first period. "It was so embarrassing, but I couldn't leave," she remembers. "And I was crying, begging my mom, 'You're going to have to put the tampon in. I have to be on set.' "
Although she's now comfortable with herself, Hollywood's beauty standard still affects her. "When you look at retouched, perfect photos, you feel like s***," she says. "They lighten black girls' skin. They smooth out wrinkles. Even when I get stuck on Instagram wondering, 'Why don't I look like that?' It's a total bummer. It's crazy what people have decided we're all supposed to be."
