Miley Cyrus Opens Up About Evolving, Feeling 'Sexualized'

The "Malibu" singer has changed a lot in just a few years—and she knows it.

Miley Cyrus graced the cover of Harper's Bazaar's August 2017 issue, and she revealed how her changing looks and attitudes have evolved over time. Regarding that twerking, tongue-wagging persona that performed on stage with Robin Thicke, Cyrus, 24, told the magazine, "I feel really kind of far away from that person. I just want people to see that this is who I am right now. I'm not saying I've never been myself. Who I was on the last record was really who I am."

She continued, "It's just myself has been a lot of different people because I change a lot."

Cyrus, who's had her fair share of controversy, also tried to set the record straight about the parts of her life that people should have considered "shocking."

"People were so shocked by some of the things that I did. It should be more shocking that when I was 11 or 12, I was put in full hair and makeup, a wig, and told what to wear by a group of mostly older men," the former Hannah Montana star said, adding that women need to feel more empowered to be themselves. "Beyoncé said, 'Girls run the world,' and that was an important thing to say because I think subconsciously we are beaten down to believe that it isn't true our whole lives. It's no wonder that a lot of people lose their way and lose who they really are because they always have people telling them who to be."

Cyrus also elaborated on how she tried to liberate herself from the restraints of the media and society by trying to cast off expectations and take control of her own body—but there was a downside. "It became something that was expected of me. I didn't want to show up to photo shoots and be the girl who would get my t**s out and stick out my tongue. In the beginning, it was kind of like saying, 'F**k you. Girls should be able to have this freedom or whatever,'" she recalled. "But it got to a point where I did feel sexualized."

She concluded, "I just want to be myself."

Keep doing you, Miley!

Want to see how the singer has evolved over the years? Check out Cyrus' ever-changing looks.