The Story Behind Miley Cyrus's Style Transformation
By Elizabeth Siegel. Photos: Courtesy of Twitter, Getty Images.
Before there was the most famous foam finger in the world and a closet full of white midriff tees, there was a suite at the Mercer hotel in New York City. When [Miley Cyrus](http://www.allure.com/story/story-behind-miley-cyrus-style-transformation boarded a train to get there from Philadelphia (where she was producing her Bangerz album) in August 2012, it was with one goal: getting rid of the Disney approved! stamp on her forehead. “My hairstylist was there, and I said, ‘Shave my head, dye me blonde—we need to see change,’” Cyrus said in an MTV documentary. “[After the haircut] I had this whole new attitude. I felt like I could finally be the bad bitch that I really am.” In a matter of months, Cyrus went from a peace-sign-flashing teen idol to a twerking megastar.
You’d better believe it takes work to transition from embodying a wholesome all-American teen to one who comes in like a wrecking ball. Her transformation was for the public, but also important on a more personal level. “Miley’s a no-bullshit kind of person. She’s very calculating. And she’s very, very smart,” says her Pilates instructor, Mari Winsor. “She knew that to make a big change professionally, she’d have to change her look first.” And that meant enlisting the help of some of Hollywood’s best makeover veterans. Two of them—Winsor, whom Cyrus can thank for her amazing abs, and her longtime hairstylist, Chris McMillan, whose razor and bucket of bleach changed the way the public saw Cyrus— share their backstories.
Her Hairstylist
“There was a time when Miley would freak out if I cut a quarter inch off of her extensions,” says McMillan. But times change. He explains the process.
The '80s-punk undercut and shocking blonde color were inspired by Madonna circa True Blue and other '80s stars, including BiIly Idol. “I know that sounds crazy. But an undercut is actually really versatile for a performer—it’s cool and androgynous, and you can push it back or to the side,” says McMillan. “There’s something very feminine about a boy’s cut on a girl.”
But it was one '90s star who really helped seal the deal. “I styled Miley’s hair into a faux undercut for a magazine shoot, and it got her all hyped up about the idea of going short. We started talking about Madonna’s old looks, and then I threw in a reference to when Kate Moss went short and bleach blonde. And that was it. Anytime you say ‘Kate Moss,’ they’re sold.”
Cyrus's producer, Pharrell, gave her the go-ahead fast. “Miley and I had been texting inspiration shots back and forth, so I already knew I was going to do an undercut. I was traveling to New York for work, so we decided to meet there. I got a room at the Mercer, where I could cut her hair in private. She was like, ‘Let’s do this.’”
But there was one small catch. “I had to bleach her hair to make it edgy, but I don’t know how to dye hair. So I called a colorist who works in my Los Angeles salon beforehand, and he told me what to do, step by step. I had to bleach her hair, like, six times to get it right. But finally we were ready to make the big cut. She was so excited. She was tweeting everything. I trimmed and trimmed and trimmed. Then I shaved the sides of her head, and the underside of the back of her hair. And that was the Miley.”
There could be extensions in her future. “She’s talked about grow- ing her hair longer, so we’re let- ting it grow on top, even though we still shave the sides. I made extensions for her, so she can rock an old- school Miley topknot, but with the sides of her head buzzed. It’ll look really cool.”
Her Trainer
“Miley knew that if she was going to go onstage wearing less than she had before, she’d need the body to pull it off,” says Winsor. “Miley’s mom suggested she come to me in the spring of 2012, based on having done my DVDs. Miley had tried a few other Pilates instructors beforehand, but she wasn’t connecting with them. She wanted a six-pack and sculpted legs, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her posture. Her shoulders were rounded from playing the guitar. I never let on to her, though. It was my secret project. It was an hour a day, five days a week, for five to six months. She was 19 and thin—getting her body to look more toned and elegant wasn’t brain surgery. It took about 20 sessions to get cut abs. But she started to notice a difference after two weeks—she was so excited when the six-pack started to appear. Miley has Pilates equipment in her house, and I still go over there to train her whenever she’s in L.A. It’s usually at night, and she is always ready to work. It’s refreshing, and I’m so proud of her. I gave her a DVD to do when she’s on the road, but she works so hard on tour, she doesn’t really need it.”
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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This story originally appeared on Allure.
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