You probably remember 2013. It was the year of the tongue, the foam finger, and the absolute destruction of the Hannah Montana image. Right in the middle of that chaos, the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag shoot happened. Honestly, it's one of those cultural artifacts that people still Google because it feels like a fever dream. It wasn't just a magazine cover. It was a tactical strike on "Disney Miley."
Fashion is usually boring. This wasn't.
The shoot was for CANDY magazine, which calls itself the "first transversal style magazine." Basically, it’s a high-fashion publication that celebrates androgyny, drag, and gender non-conformity. When Miley teamed up with Terry Richardson for this, the world wasn't exactly ready for it. Or maybe they were too ready? Either way, the backlash was instant. People were genuinely shocked to see a former Disney darling posing in ways that would make a Victorian ghost faint.
The Visual Chaos of Miley Cyrus Candy Mag
Most people looking for the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag photos are actually looking for the "Sugar" and "Spice" covers. There were two distinct versions. One featured Miley in a damp, short blonde wig, looking almost unrecognizable. The other was... more. It involved a lot of skin, some questionable props, and that signature Terry Richardson lighting that makes everyone look like they’ve been sweating in a basement for three hours.
It's raw. It's gritty.
If you look at the photos now, they feel almost tame compared to what’s on Instagram today. But in 2013? This was a massive risk. At the time, Miley was doing the Bangerz tour. She was trying to prove she was an adult. Most child stars do this by getting a "mature" role in an indie film. Miley did it by licking things and wearing prosthetics.
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Why James Franco Was Involved
Wait, why are we talking about James Franco? Because he was on the cover of CANDY too, just a few issues prior, in full drag. The magazine has a history of taking "mainstream" celebrities and pushing them into the underground queer aesthetic. When Miley joined that roster, she wasn't just doing a photo shoot. She was aligning herself with a specific kind of counter-culture. She wanted the "cool kids" to take her seriously, even if the suburban parents were terrified.
The photos didn't just live in the magazine. They exploded on Tumblr.
The Impact on Her Career Path
Did the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag shoot actually help her? It's a weird question. If you look at her chart positions for "Wrecking Ball" or "We Can't Stop," she was already at the top. This shoot was more about branding than sales. It established her as "the weird one." It gave her permission to eventually release Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, which was an experimental psychedelic pop album that her label didn't even want to put out.
Without the CANDY shoot, we might not have gotten the Miley we have today—the one who covers Janis Joplin and sounds like a rock legend. It was a bridge. A messy, weird, controversial bridge.
The Terry Richardson Problem
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Terry Richardson was the photographer. Years after this shoot, Richardson was effectively blacklisted from the fashion industry following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. This puts the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag photos in a complicated light today. When fans look back at these images, there’s often a sense of discomfort that wasn't there in 2013.
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Does it ruin the "art"? For some, yeah. For others, it’s just a piece of history. But you can't discuss this specific magazine issue without acknowledging that the man behind the lens is now a persona non grata in fashion. It’s part of why these photos feel so "of their time"—a specific window of the early 2010s where "edgy" photography had no guardrails.
Common Misconceptions About the Shoot
I see people online saying this was her first "naked" shoot. It wasn't. She’d already done the Wrecking Ball video. People also think this was a mainstream magazine you could find at a gas station. Nope. CANDY is a niche, high-priced collector’s item. Only about 1,500 copies are usually printed for each issue. That’s why the physical copies of the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag are now worth hundreds of dollars on eBay.
It's a collector's item for a very specific type of person.
- The limited run: Because so few were made, most people only ever saw the low-res versions on blogs.
- The "Cat" mask: One of the most famous photos involves a cat mask and some very... suggestive poses. It became a meme before memes were even called memes.
- The Hair: This was the peak of her pixie cut era. It’s the look that defined her transition from teen star to whatever she is now.
How to View the Art Today
If you're hunting for the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag spread, you're going to find a lot of dead links and "content removed" notices. Most major platforms don't host the full set because of their strict nudity policies. However, fashion archives and "stans" on X (formerly Twitter) keep the archives alive.
Looking back, the shoot feels like a time capsule. It represents the exact moment when pop music decided it didn't need to be "polished" anymore. Miley was messy, and she wanted you to know it. She wasn't trying to be a role model. She was trying to be an artist, even if that art was just her making weird faces in a tiny studio.
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The legacy of the magazine isn't just about the shock value. It's about the shift in how we view female pop stars. Before this, they had to be "perfect." After Miley and CANDY, they were allowed to be "gross" or "weird" or "ugly-cool."
Practical Steps for Collectors and Fans
If you're actually trying to find a copy of the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag, don't just search "Miley Cyrus Candy." You'll get results for actual candy. Search for "Candy Magazine Issue 7." That's the one. Be prepared to pay a premium.
- Check Specialized Bookstores: Places like Printed Matter in NYC or specialized fashion boutiques in London often carry back issues of CANDY.
- Verify the Authenticity: There are bootleg prints out there. Real copies are printed on high-quality, heavy paper stock and have a very specific "thick" feel.
- Digital Archives: Some fashion libraries have digitized versions, but they are usually behind a paywall or require institutional access.
The era of Miley Cyrus as a "wild child" might be over—she’s much more chill now—but the Miley Cyrus Candy Mag remains the definitive proof of her rebellion. It wasn't a phase. It was a total teardown of a brand that was forced upon her. Whether you love the photos or find them cringey, you can't deny they changed the conversation.
To understand Miley’s current "rock goddess" era, you have to look at the moments where she was most desperate to be seen as an individual. This magazine was that moment. It was loud, it was colorful, and it was unapologetically her.
If you are researching this for a media studies project or just pure nostalgia, focus on the context of 2013. The transition from "the girl next door" to "the girl who might be a lizard person" happened almost overnight, and this magazine was the fuel for that fire. Keep an eye on auction sites like Grailed or specialized fashion resellers if you want a physical piece of this pop culture history.