In the USA, any fresh ‘n’ hot star with blonde ambitions is bound to be a sex symbol. Miley Cyrus wears that bondage lightly. And literally. She stretches the definition of kink, making it pop. On stage, riding a giant hot dog, she grins like the girl who yells loudest in the “penis!” game. She could stop, actually, if she wanted to… but she won’t. She wears her latex like she’s dressing up as herself for Halloween: “I’m a Sexy Miley Cyrus! What are you?”

As part of Cyrus’ current Bangerz tour is a two-minute video directed by mixed-media artist and filmmaker Quentin Jones, whose signature soignée graphics and splashes of paint transform a pornoriffic-almost-parody into artsploitation. Stripping the color from our heroine’s cartoonish persona, Jones goes in on popular symbols of sex: the fishnets; the beauty mark made darker like Marilyn’s; the black collar fit for a ‘Bunny. To Miley, as to a little kid, even the most dangerous object is a toy. And like a kid’s, her near-nudity is hardly erotic. She’s just happier naked. Her poses are jokes, even that infamous tongue—stuck out—remains firmly in cheek. She holds up the cardboard cut-out and winks. Get it? She’s playing with herself.

It should be clear as ink that Miley Cyrus is no former Disney kid. She’s a forever Disney kid. Sixty years after Walt himself collaborated with Salvador Dali, his phantasmagorical dreams of goofy innocence and erotically charged surrealism have been reanimated.

That’s right – Miley is the cover girl for the May 2014 issue of ELLE Magazine. In her interview, she opens up about battling depression, feminism, and heartbreak

The issue hits stands nationwide on 22nd April – be sure to grab a copy! Check out the UHQ photos in the gallery, and a behind the scenes video below.

view more images from this album

Last year Miley covered ELLE UK‘s June issue, and we’ve added some new unreleased outtakes from the photoshoot.

view more images from this album

Vevo’s ‘Tour Exposed’ gets an exclusive invitation from Miley Cyrus to join her ‘Bangerz’ tour, where the singer and her crew explain all the mechanics of putting on an intricate show in a different city each night. Miley shows fans the inner-working of the concerts, from her nightly stage arrival on a giant tongue to the ever-changing series of costumes that she chooses from wardrobe. Artistic director Diane Martel explains her relationship with Miley and how she helped conceive the show.