Miley Cyrus's 'Wrecking Ball' Video Is The Zenith of Hypocrisy

Miley Cyrus's 'Wrecking Ball' music video, in which she swings sexually in the nude from a giant...wrecking ball...has been dubbed her 'raciest' and most adult work yet. It's no surprise that it's come from the mind of Terry Richardson, a photographer known for his nude shots of Lady Gaga and Kate Upton.

Cyrus is the latest in a long list of celebrities who have bared all for the sake of Richardson's art - though Miley has a problem with this doesn't she? She certainly did four years ago when she slammed Annie Leibovitz - easily one of the greatest photographers of all time - for her artistic shots of her for Vanity Fair magazine.

Still in the Hannah Montana stage of her career, Miley was photographed sat up in a bed with only a white sheet draped around her. It wasn't the most revealing shoot of all time and actually looked rather artistic - far more than Wrecking Ball - though Cyrus was outraged.

Apologizing to her fans, Miley released a statement that read, "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

Seemingly bemused by the whole thing, Leibovitz - who probably had more pressing things to be getting on with than shooting Miley Cyrus anyway - said, "I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together, and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it.The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little make-up, and I think it is very beautiful."

Vanity Fair conceded that the shot was entirely Leibovitz's idea but insisted that Cyrus and her family were happy with it.

So what's changed in four years? Despite mega-hit after mega-hit, Cyrus appears to be more than happy to fall into the laziest of routines - the MTV Video Music Awards being the notable example. It's like Lady Gaga but without any of intrigue or excitement, and mostly without the songs.

Watch Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball video:

If you haven't seen the Wrecking Ball video yet, it starts off with poor old Miley crying a little, before wandering around a concrete room in her knickers and licking a hammer. Then she jumps on-board a wrecking ball - totally naked - and swings about for a bit.

The Los Angeles Times columnist Mikael Wood wrote of the video, "with its stark close-up shots of Cyrus weepily delivering lyrics about love's destructive properties, 'Wrecking Ball' seems also to be the singer's attempt to prove she's not just a controversy magnet." Which confirms that he only watched the first 4 seconds.

The Leibovitz photographer seems a long, long time ago now and we bet the acclaimed photographer isn't angling for a re-shoot anytime soon.

MIley Cyrus At The MTV Video Music Awards - Before THAT Happened