Miley and fellow pop star Demi Lovato spoke about their struggles with body image during an Instagram Live in March 2020. The “Party in the U.S.A.” singer shared she was particularly traumatized by the reaction to her 2013 MTV Video Music Awards looks.

“I went through two to three years when I wouldn’t wear shorts or skirts on stage,” she revealed. “After the VMAs, I wore a cute bodysuit and everyone started comparing me to this turkey … I felt so bad about myself.”

The Black Mirror star did the infamous performance when she was 21, “just starting to understand [herself] as an independent person.” She noted it was “so hurtful” to be body-shamed and that it “affected” her in her personal life. “Not wearing shorts to the beach … what was so hard about it was my brand has always been so unapologetically myself and being confident,” Miley said. “I felt like having this persona was actually kind of fraud that … I wasn’t wearing shorts and even when I wore bodysuits, I wore four f—king pairs of tights under.”

The actress explained the way the trolling and body-shaming made her feel was the catalyst for starting her foundation, Happy Hippie. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to “rallying young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.”

Clearly, the Grammy Award nominee has regained her confidence in a big way since 2013. Scroll through the gallery below to see Miley Cyrus’ best bikini moments over the years. 

Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

LAVA QUEEN

Miley showed off her fit body while vacationing in June 2022.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

STUNNING

Miley flashed her arm muscles in a tiny black bikini.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

SHE’S RED HOT!

The only thing we love more than a bikini moment from Miley, is a color-coordinated bikini moment from Miley! This monochromatic red moment is hot, hot, hot.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

ON CLOUD 9 …

Basically, this photo summarizes our entire summer 2019 mood. If this isn’t how you’ve been feeling, please feel free to print it out and hang it up for motivational purposes.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

HOT GIRL SUMMER!

Miley took to Instagram in July 2020 to share this *super* steamy snapshot of herself rocking a thong and white tank top. Sure, it’s not the most conventional bikini out there, but are you really going to complain? Yeah, that’s what we thought.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

POLKA DOTS FOR DAYS

“I’ll give you what you need when you give me what I deserve,” the sassy songstress captioned this mirror snap. Miley’s black-and-white suit showed off all her tiny tattoos that run up and down her arms. This look is giving us all the right vintage vibes.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

DANG, GIRL

Miley posted a video of herself twerking at home and her immaculate Pilates studio could be seen in the background. That probably has a lot to do with how she keeps her slender and toned frame.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

BUSINESS IN THE FRONT …

“Business as usual,” the “Mother’s Daughter” singer joked about this photo of her in a blazer with only a bikini underneath.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

10 FEET TALL?

Miley sprawled out to give fans a glimpse of her mile-long legs. The A-lister previously explained to Vanity Fair that she intentionally tries to stay authentic and candid in all aspects of her life, social media included. “I try to be true to myself in every state of being. When I can, I will stand still, work through, sit in, observe, and get to know exactly ‘who that is’ privately,” she said.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

STILL COUNTS

So, technically, Miley is posing here in her undies because she lost her luggage during a recent trip to Europe. However, it still proves that she slays all day — even when she only has the “essentials.”

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

LIVING HER BEST LIFE

If you have a problem with Miley showing too much skin, sorry to say, she doesn’t really care. She addressed her haters in the song “Unholy” when she sang: “You hate me/ You love me/ You just wanna touch me/ I’m only trying to get some peace/ So let me do me.”

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Steve Granitz/WireImage / Getty Images

ALWAYS LOVED A BIKINI MOMENT

Back in 2013, Miley took her love of swimwear to the Teen Choice Awards when she paired a leather mini skirt with a black bikini top. We’re not mad about it!

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

THAT POOL LIFE!

Miley is all about getting her lounge on. She looks great in red, doesn’t she?

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

VACATION’S ALL SHE’S EVER WANTED

All of the singer’s bikini photos from her trip to Sedona in September 2019 are #SummerGoals!

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus Instagram

BYE-BYE!

See what we mean? Miley looks too good in these pics, y’all.

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Courtesy of Kaitlynn Carter/Instagram

BABES ON A BOAT

When Miley was dating The Hills star Kaitlynn Carter, the dynamic duo took their fair share of steamy swimsuit selfies.

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Courtesy of Miley Cyrus/Instagram

THAT SUMMER GLOW

If only we could’ve been a guest on Miley’s boat in the Italian waters as she rocked an incredible Versace bikini …

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Courtesy of Vevo/YouTube

‘FLOWERS’ MUSIC VIDEO

After releasing her hit 2023 single, “Flowers,” Miley starred in the accompanying music video donning this sizzling black two-piece ensemble.