The singer opens up about her insecurities during a candid chat with Demi Lovato.
Miley Cyrus is opening up about her biggest insecurities.
During a candid Instagram Live chat with Demi Lovato on Tuesday, the 27-year-old singer revealed that after receiving so much criticism for her twerking performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards with Robin Thicke she didn't wear a bikini for two years.
"I basically went through two or three years where I wouldn't wear shorts. I stopped wearing skirts on stage, all this s**t 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," Cyrus recalled. "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."
"No one thought that that would've ever made me feel some type of way," she added. "It was just really, really hurtful to be so body-shamed like that. And it really affected me in my personal life."
Cyrus continued on, admitting to Lovato that she felt like a "fraud" to her fans at the time.
"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," she confessed. "I felt like having this persona of being the most confident girl on the planet was actually kind of fraud because I was so insecure on the inside that in my personal life I wasn't even wearing bathing suits and shorts. And when I was wearing like my little leotards and things, I had on f**king four pairs of tights because I was so insecure."
Lovato, 27, said she could totally relate. She shared that back when she released her hit song, "Confident," in 2015, she was actually feeling quite the opposite.
"When I did my song, 'Confident,' my message was that I was so confident. But in reality, I was working out so much and eating a strict diet," the "I Love Me" singer admitted. "Now I'm heavier but more confident. I'd take that over being thinner and miserable any day."
"After going through so much stuff that I did I realized that the quality of life I want isn't in strict dieting; it's being happy," she continued. "I sometimes still struggle with body dysmorphia ... but I'm grateful for the health and the strength that I have today. That helps me be grounded in my body and to stop those negative body thoughts. If you can't look at yourself and say you're beautiful that's fine. Just look at yourself and be grateful."
The live chat was all part of BRIGHT MINDED: Live With Miley, which will air on Cyrus' Instagram every day this week at 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. ET. The afternoon sessions are aimed at bringing light to a dark time, staying positive and overcoming stress amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The singer revealed that her guests for Wednesday will include comedian Amy Schumer, and Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from Netflix's binge-worthy Love Is Blind series. In the meantime, hear more from Cyrus in the video below!
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