If you were online in 2013, you couldn’t escape it. The image of Miley Cyrus swinging on a giant concrete sphere, wearing nothing but a pair of maroon Dr. Martens, basically broke the internet before that was even a tired cliché. It was the "Wrecking Ball" era. But looking back, the story isn't just about a pop star shedding her Disney skin. It’s about the man behind the lens: Terry Richardson.
People still search for those "terry richardson miley cyrus naked" shots because they represent a specific, messy crossroads in pop culture. It was a time when "edgy" often meant "exploitative," and the line between artistic freedom and predatory behavior was incredibly thin. Honestly, the collaboration wasn’t just a one-off music video; it was a series of shoots that defined Miley's Bangerz era and, for many, cemented Richardson's reputation as the most controversial figure in fashion photography.
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The Wrecking Ball Shoot: More Than Just Nudity
When the "Wrecking Ball" video dropped on September 9, 2013, it shattered Vevo records with 19 million views in 24 hours. Most of the chatter was about Miley being naked. People were shocked. They were outraged. They were obsessed. But while the public was busy pearl-clutching over her "lost innocence," industry insiders were looking at the director's chair.
Richardson didn't just direct the video; he curated the entire aesthetic of that period for her. He was known for his "Terry’s Diary" style—stark white backgrounds, harsh flash, and a raw, almost amateurish look that felt like you were peeking into a private party you weren't invited to.
What went down on set?
The shoot wasn't just the music video. Richardson released a massive gallery of behind-the-scenes photos on his blog. In these images, Miley was seen:
- Crying in extreme close-ups with smeared red lipstick.
- Licking sledgehammers (which became an instant meme).
- Posing in nothing but white high-waisted underwear and a crop top.
- Embracing Richardson himself while wearing an open robe.
The vibe was "vulnerable," or at least that’s what Miley told the press at the time. She claimed the nudity was meant to mimic the feeling of the song—raw and broken. But for critics, the involvement of Richardson turned a "pure" artistic choice into something that felt skeevy.
The "Uncle Terry" Problem
You've probably heard the name Terry Richardson associated with some pretty dark stuff. By the time he worked with Miley, he was already dodging years of allegations. Models like Jamie Peck and Rie Rasmussen had already gone public, accusing him of using his position to pressure young women into sexual acts during shoots.
Peck, specifically, spoke out right after the "Wrecking Ball" release. She warned that by working with him, Miley was endorsing a man who allegedly manipulated his subjects.
It’s a weird paradox. Miley was trying to project an image of a woman finally in control of her own body, yet she was doing it through the lens of a man accused of taking that control away from others. Richardson’s "Uncle Terry" persona—a goofy, plaid-shirt-wearing guy who just wanted everyone to "have fun"—started to feel more like a mask for something predatory.
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Beyond the Video: The CANDY Magazine Shoot
If you think "Wrecking Ball" was the peak, you've forgotten the 2015 CANDY Magazine shoot. This was arguably the most explicit collaboration between the two. Richardson photographed Miley in a series of shots that pushed way past the boundaries of a standard celebrity profile.
We’re talking full-frontal nudity, prosthetic accessories, and imagery that was essentially soft-core. This wasn't for a mainstream music video; it was for an underground, "transversal" fashion journal. It was Miley at her most defiant, and Richardson was the one she trusted to capture it.
Why did she keep working with him? Some say it was genuine friendship. Others think it was a calculated move to remain the most talked-about person on the planet. Honestly, at the time, Miley seemed to relish the "untouchable" status that came with being so controversial. She even wore a shirt with his face on it that said, "I Was Touched by Terry"—a joke that aged incredibly poorly given the gravity of the accusations against him.
The Fallout and the Blacklist
The tide eventually turned. In October 2017, the "Weinstein Effect" finally caught up with the fashion world. Condé Nast—the powerhouse behind Vogue and GQ—officially blacklisted Richardson. They sent an internal email stating that any unpublished work by him should be "killed" and replaced.
Miley’s response to the Richardson controversy in later years was mostly silence or a quiet distancing. By the time her Younger Now album came out, she was pivoting back to a "cleaner," country-inspired image. The sledgehammers and Terry Richardson shoots were treated like a fever dream from a past life.
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In a 2017 interview with NME, she admitted that "Wrecking Ball" was something she’d never live down, joking that she'd always be the "naked girl on a wrecking ball." But she rarely addressed the ethics of the man who put her there.
Lessons from the Bangerz Era
Looking back at the "terry richardson miley cyrus naked" era isn't just about celebrity gossip. It’s a case study in how the industry protected powerful men for decades.
- The Power of the Lens: Who is behind the camera matters as much as who is in front of it.
- Aesthetic vs. Ethics: Just because something looks "cool" or "raw" doesn't mean the environment where it was created was safe.
- The Shift in Consent: Today, intimacy coordinators and stricter set protocols make the "anything goes" vibe of a 2013 Richardson shoot almost impossible—and that's a good thing.
If you’re researching this today, the "actionable" takeaway is to look at the context. Don't just view the images as pop culture artifacts; view them as products of a specific time when the fashion and music industries were starting to reckon with their own "open secrets."
To understand the full impact, you can look into the Model Alliance, an organization that grew out of the need to protect young women from the exact kind of environments Richardson was famous for creating. Understanding the history of these shoots helps us recognize why the industry has (mostly) moved toward a more professional, respectful standard today.
Check out the archives of The Guardian or The Fashion Law for a deeper look at the legal and professional blacklisting of Terry Richardson. It’s a wild reminder of how much has changed in just a decade.