Miley Cyrus Says Playing Hannah Montana 'Caused Some Body Dysmorphia'

If there is anything Miley Cyrus is known for today, it's her confidence: Girlfriend doesn't give a f*ck.

But that wasn't always the case.

In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Cyrus revealed an unsurprising secret: Her teen years were marred by insecurity thanks to "Hannah Montana."

She told the magazine,

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... I was told for so long what a girl is supposed to be from being on that show.

Being made to look like someone she wasn't didn't end with "Hannah Montana," however.

Even today, the 22-year-old admits it's hard to feel beautiful in an industry that prizes only a specific kind of unattainable beauty.

She said,

When you look at retouched, perfect photos, you feel like sh*t. 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.

But, she concludes, it really doesn't matter what anyone wants her to be. What matters to Cyrus is staying true to herself: in her words, a "weed-smoking, liberal-ass freak."

Read Cyrus' full interview in the September issue of Marie Claire, on newsstands August 18.

Citations: I was told what a girl is supposed to be Miley Cyrus reveals playing Hannah Montana gave her body image issues (Daily Mail), 9 Things You Never Knew About Miley Cyrus Courtesy of Her Marie Claire Cover Interview (Marie Claire)