Miley Cyrus has had her fair share of sexy photo scandals - but this one is definitely for real!
The 15-year-old teen queen appears in the June issue of Vanity Fair in poses that make her appear naked. One photo in the spread, shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, shows the Hannah Montana star topless and wrapped in what looks like a satin bedsheet.
In the article by Bruce Handy, Cyrus said, "Annie took, like, a beautiful shot, and I thought it was really cool. That's what she wanted me to do, and you can't say no to Annie... I think [the photo is] really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way."
But she had a completely different view Sunday. "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," the singer-actress told E! in a prepared statement. "I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
The Disney Channel also defended its cash cow, telling E! News "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."
Vanity Fair spokeswoman Beth Kseniak defended both the magazine and its photographer: "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."
Parents expressed their outrage this weekend after "Entertainment Tonight" showed commercials promoting a Monday story - that Cyrus posed topless (but with her chest covered) for Leibovitz and Vanity Fair.
"Parents should be extremely concerned," said Lin Burress of Telling it Like It Is, a marriage and parenting blog, during an interview. "Very young girls look up to Miley Cyrus as a role model."
Numerous news reports have speculated that the photo spread could cause permanent damage to the franchise built around Disney's Hannah Montana.
"For Miley Cyrus to be a 'good girl is now a business decision for her," Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, said in last week's Portfolio magazine. "Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won't get it back."
