Miley may only be 19, but she's seen her fair share of controversy through the years. All in all, I think she's handled it pretty gracefully.
Hannah Montana Era
June 2006: Miley starts dating Nick Jonas
December 2007: Miley posts a photo of her almost kissing a friend on her MySpace
May 2008: overshares intimate photos of her and then-boyfriend Thomas Sturges
But that is nothing compared to what was to come...
June 2008: photographed without a shirt in "Vanity Fair"
The head of Disney was outraged:
"For Miley Cyrus to be a 'good girl' is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won't get it back.
So Miley apologized:
"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. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."
Personally, I see no issue with the photos. There's no nudity, it's highly artistic, and Annie Leibovitz is possibly the most respected photographer in the world. BUT, they're apparently obscene to some closed-minded people out there lacking artistic vision.
July 2008: Miley and BFF Mandy mock Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato in YouTube video
July 2008: The Shower Incident
February 2009: insensitive faces
Miley issued a statement about the controversy:
“I’ve also been told there are some people upset about some pictures taken of me with friends making goofy faces! Well, I’m sorry if those people looked at those pics and took them wrong and out of context! In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? It seems someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me. If that would of been anyone else, it would of been overlooked! I definitely feel like the press is trying to make me out as the new ‘BAD GIRL’!”
February 2009: Miley jogs without a sports bra
August 2009: pole dancing at the "Teen Choice Awards"
December 2009: Miley gets her first tattoo
The Can't Be Tamed Era
June 2010: Miley released "Can't Be Tamed"
June 2010: Miley kisses a girl on "Britain's Got Talent"
June 2010: Perez Hilton posts up-skirt picture of 17-year-old Miley
June 2010: video surfaces of Miley caught grinding on an older man
November 2010: 17-year-old Miley caught drinking beer in Spain
Never mind the fact that alcohol laws in Spain are incredibly lax. The legal drinking age is 18 (though it's not very well enforced), and 16 in Barcelona.
December 2010: the bong hits heard 'round the world
Billy Ray was sad about it and apologized:
Miley's camp said that it wasn't marijuana, but a legal hallucinogen called Salvia. Sure it was.
"It was a bad decision, because of my fans and because of what I stand for. I’m not perfect … I made a mistake. I’m disappointed in myself for disappointing my fans."
November 2011: Miley calls herself a "stoner"
January 2012: the penis cake
May 2012: sideboob, sideboob, everywhere
June 2012: Miley gets engaged to Liam Hemsworth
June 2012: Miley is seen outside of a marijuana dispensary
June 2012: Miley bares her ass to the paparazzi
September 2012: Miley brags about her sex life
"There’s no hold barred… the sex is wild! Liam fulfills all my fantasies, and I fulfill his. [We] do it everywhere – it’s become a game to see who can come up with the most bizzare place!"
Now: a brand-new Miley
September 2012: Miley suspected of criminal battery
September 2012: Miley chops her hair off
And gets an edgy new sense of style:
November 2012: Miley stars in music video with an adult film star