How Miley Cyrus Feels About Being “Harshly Judged” as Child in the Spotlight

Miley Cyrus is getting real about the harsh judgment she faced while coming of age in the public eye.

The singer recently got candid about the scrutiny she faced as she made the transition from Disney Channel star into adulthood, explaining in a British Vogue interview published May 18, "I'm actually not an attention-seeking person, sitting here as a 30-year-old grown woman."

As Miley sees it, the provocative antics and attention-grabbing moments that surrounded her early 20s—which included twerking onstage at the 2013 MTV Music Video Awards—were more than just random rebellion.

"I was creating attention for myself because I was dividing myself from a character I had played," she reflected of moving on from Hannah Montana into a pop star in her own right. "Anyone, when you're 20 or 21, you have more to prove. I'm not my parents.' ‘I am who I am.'"

The superstar acknowledged the turmoil her actions caused, noting, "I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years."

And looking back at the reaction to her headline-making stunts as she launched her post-Disney music career—which included her riding a wrecking ball in her birthday suit in the 2013 music video for the song of the same name—she sees the criticism for what it is.

"I was harshly judged as a child by adults," she added, "and now, as an adult, I realize that I would never harshly judge a child."

Her personal evolution has deeply influenced her music, evident in her latest studio album Endless Summer Vacation. But Miley makes it clear that her past, including her turbulent relationship with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, isn't something that she's trying to escape from.

"I wouldn't erase my story or want it to be erased," she told British Vogue. "Having an interesting life makes for interesting storytelling."