Miley Cyrus candidly delves into how Hannah Montana‘s basic premise affected her psychologically growing up. Premiering on the Disney Channel in 2006, Hannah Montana catapulted a young Cyrus into stardom and became one of the touchstones of a generation. Hannah Montana ran for four seasons and led to both a concert movie and a feature film, which was released in 2009. Aside from Cyrus, the series starred Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso, Jason Earles, Moises Arias, and Miley’s father Billy Ray Cyrus.
Hannah Montana follows everyday teenager Miley Stewart (Cyrus) as she juggles the typical things that come with young adulthood: School, crushes, family, etc.. However, Miley also has a massive secret: She leads a double life as the hugely successful popstar Hannah Montana. Much of the show focuses on how Miley walks the tightrope of fame and a normal life. By the end of the show, Miley reveals her secret to the world, ending the ruse once and for all. While this was undoubtedly the dream of many children growing up, Cyrus recently pulled back the curtain on how that fictional double life impacted her own sense of self.
Cyrus appeared on The Howard Stern Show to talk about everything from her newest album to her personal life. At one point, the former Disney star spoke about how Hannah Montana‘s story of a girl who becomes incredibly famous while pretending to be someone else affected how she viewed herself. In short: It wasn’t the healthiest message for a child. Cyrus explained:
“Some of my audience was so attached to a character, which wasn’t me. So, then that does a lot of psychological stuff, where it’s like, ‘Am I valuable as myself?’ Ok, the whole show’s premise was that when I had my normal hair and looked like myself, no one gave a s–t about me. And then when I got all dolled up and put a wig on, all of a sudden, you know, I’m being chased by people chasing my tour bus. So, that’s a lot to put on a kid—to go, ‘When you’re yourself, no one gives a f–k.’ But then when they go and kind of groom you to look like something else, something that you’re not, and you’re really young, and it’s a lot of makeup and, you know, wigs and all this stuff, it does something psychologically.”
Cyrus later went on to say she’s “not mad about it,” though it is quite clear she’s very much done with Hannah Montana and all that came with it. Cyrus’ perspective on Miley/Hannah’s story is an interesting one, and perhaps isn’t something many would have considered. Some might have thought Hannah Montana‘s core message stemmed from always being true to oneself, but Cyrus saw it differently. That is to be expected, seeing as she was the one who actually lived through it. The idea that Hannah Montana instead tells someone it’s not enough to be yourself is a scary one, and it’s no surprise that Cyrus has sought to distance herself from the role.
In the years since Hannah Montana’s end, Cyrus has definitively crushed the family-friendly image she had while on the Disney Channel. Unsurprisingly, this came with a great deal of backlash, but considering the emotional toll being a child actor takes, Cyrus should certainly be free to do what she wishes with her life now that she is an adult. The negative side of Hannah Montana might’ve affected Cyrus before, but now she’s doing her best to move forward. Good for her.
