Times Miley Cyrus Was Unrecognizable After Pulling Off A Dramatic Transformation

Like many other megastars, Miley Cyrus' time as a child star on the Disney Channel was only just the beginning of an illustrious career. However, she had to contend with the difficult, sometimes troubling, intersection of fame and youth. Speaking to British Vogue in May 2023 about the release of her "Endless Summer Vacation" album, Cyrus discussed being a young adult in the public eye and trying to break free from the "Hannah Montana" mold.

"I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played," Cyrus said, referring to things such as her 2013 VMAs performance, where she twerked on Robin Thicke. "Anyone, when you're 20 or 21, you have more to prove. 'I'm not my parents.' 'I am who I am.'" Cyrus continued, "I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused." Reflecting as an older person, Cyrus said she wouldn't treat a kid the way she was treated by critics back then.

That time of the "Flowers" singer's life and career was only one of the most dramatic style shifts from Cyrus' stunning transformation.

Miley Cyrus portrayed Miley Stewart on "Hannah Montana" from 2006 to 2011. She also played the character in 2009's theatrical release "Hannah Montana: The Movie." Most kids of the '90s and 2000s likely think of this part of Cyrus' career as the start, since "Hannah Montana" is what really kicked off her rise to fame, though she was in the Tim Burton film "Big Fish" in 2003.

Speaking during her 2023 "Used To Be Young" TikTok series (named after her eponymous track), Cyrus talked about when she released a double album of "Hannah Montana 2" and "Meet Miley Cyrus" to really differentiate between herself and the fictional Hannah whom she performed as. In another TikTok, Cyrus discussed the song "See You Again," which included allusions to her personal life to emphasize how she wasn't the same as Hannah. Cyrus also said, "Hannah's for kids! Miley is for grown-ass men in heels." 

During this part of her career, Cyrus had long, wavy brown hair. When performing as Hannah at concerts or for her show, Cyrus wore a wig of long, blond hair and bangs.

Miley Cyrus' music started to get edgier with tracks such as 2010's "Can't Be Tamed." As the years went on and the Hannah Montana era came to a close, Cyrus also shifted her style to show the change. First, she went for the big chop and debuted a new hairdo. Cyrus' wavy, honey-blond bob from the early 2010s was the epitome of glamorous. That look can be seen in the above-left photo, from the red carpet at Vanity Fair's Oscar party in 2012.

Cyrus later dyed her hair blonder and cut it even shorter. Her most dramatic transformation was in 2013 for the era of her "Bangerz" album. While performing a mash-up of her song "We Can't Stop" and Robin Thicke's song "Blurred Lines" at the VMAs that year, Cyrus wore her short hair in mini space buns on the top of her head. She also wore a bikini top and hot pants in her skin tone while twerking on her duet partner. The bright red, matte lipstick was another deviation from Cyrus' old look.

Reflecting on that performance for Wonderland in 2018, Cyrus said, "Not only was culture changed, but my life and career were changed forever. It inspired me to use my platform for something much bigger. If the world is going to focus on me and what I am doing, then what I am doing should be impactful, and it should be great" (via People).

Miley Cyrus' album "Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz" was a collaboration with the band Flaming Lips. It was released on SoundCloud free of charge in 2015 before being sold in 2017. Cyrus' looks for the Milky Milky Milk Tour of the album were another drastic transformation. As seen in the above photo taken at the Wiltern Theatre in December 2015, Miley pushed the envelope with her sense of style.

At one point in the show, she wore a green, blue, and silver braided wig, and she also seemed to have dyed pink eyebrows along with stickers on her face. Cyrus' outfit for that portion of the show was a gold top and miniskirt set adorned with the phrase "DO IT." She also wore looks such as a mirrored, disco-ball-like jumpsuit with a matching helmet.

All those looks were a stark change from the days when Cyrus performed as Hannah Montana. In August 2015, while speaking to Marie Claire, Cyrus opened up about the downsides of playing Hannah on her mental health and self-esteem. "I was told for so long what a girl is supposed to be from being on that show," Cyrus said. "I was made to look like someone that I wasn't, which probably caused some body dysmorphia because I had been made pretty every day for so long, and then when I wasn't on that show, it was like, Who the f*** am I?"

Miley Cyrus rocked her dyed blond hair often, styling it in different ways. She went for a mullet cut for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021" celebration ushering in the new year (which may not be a purposeful homage to her father Billy Ray Cyrus' song "I Want My Mullet Back," but the connection is fun nonetheless). That performance also showed Cyrus fully embracing an edgy, punk-rock look.

For part of the performance, Cyrus wore an all-black leather outfit adorned with studs. She also wore lots of jewelry, such as earrings shaped like daggers and various black and silver necklaces and bracelets. As for makeup, Cyrus combined a shimmery silver eyeshadow with black for a dramatic look. It fit the vibes of her "Plastic Hearts" album perfectly, which tapped into many musical genres, including rock. 

Cyrus did wear some red, white, and blue during the night as well — she wore a leather jacket and pants designed like an American flag while singing "Party in the U.S.A."

At the 2024 Grammys, Miley Cyrus got to perform her song "Flowers." She won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for the track. After taking home one of the two awards, Cyrus interrupted her own performance with an aside: "Started to cry then remembered — I just won my first Grammy!" (via YouTube). That night's style was another new look for Cyrus. She went with what seemed to be her natural brunette locks with some blond highlights, and the hair was teased high.

Cyrus' hair inspo for the Grammys was none other than Dolly Parton, her godmother and another legend in the music industry. On Instagram, Cyrus tagged Parton and said, "I felt your fairy dust everywhere (I put a little extra in my hair, could you tell?!)."

Many also believe that Cyrus nearly nailed her post-Liam-Hemsworth-breakup revenge dress for the awards show. On the red carpet, she wore a skin-baring gold dress from Maison Margiela. For her performance of "Flowers," she went for a silver dress with a fringed skirt and a cutout in the bodice — perfect for dancing in. When accepting her award, Cyrus wore a sparkly black jumpsuit with a long keyhole cutout down the bodice. With all the glitter, Cyrus is clearly a shining star.