We’re v. v. v. much looking forward to the May issue of US Elle magazine, due in no small part to the fact that teen inspiration Tavi Gevinson interviews cover star Miley Cyrus, and by all accounts the pair had quite a revealing and informative chat. We just got a teensy preview, and it’s already shaping up to be pretty iconic. Here's basically what we have so far:
She does not have a single Disney-shaped regret:
You’d think that her provocative performances were an attempt to distance herself from her Hannah Montana, girl-next-door days, but actually Miley’s ‘really thankful’ that she started on Disney, and has learned a lot from not having the brand, or a boyfriend, to lean on. ‘I got the most intense training,’ she says. ‘There's times where I wish I could have just started as a new artist, but the world has kind of allowed me to do that. I feel really lucky – a lot of kid stars get all crazy or stuck in what they were, so they can't actually become what they're meant to be.'
**She’s totally cool being single after breaking up with Liam Hemsworth: **
‘When I went through a really intense break-up – you know, I was engaged – and when I was with him or when I was on Disney, the thing that gave me the most anxiety was not knowing what to do with myself when Disney wasn't there to carry me anymore or if I didn't have him. I lay in bed at night by myself and I'm totally okay, and that's so much stronger than the person three years ago, who would have thought they would have died if they didn't have a boyfriend.’
**She totally gets and respects the impact she has on troubled fans, from closeted LGBTQ to those suffering with depression: **
‘I have guys and girls that come out, and they're like, "The only reason I'm able to admit that I'm gay is because you've made me feel like that's okay." That is so intense, because that is a part of this generation – it wasn't always accepted – and I feel like I am a big part of that change. Or they know that I've struggled with depression, and that helped them get over theirs. That gives me a big purpose – a reason to wake up in the morning that's bigger than to put on my fucking feathers and my little outfits.’
To her, being a feminist is about basic equality:
‘I'm just about equality, period. It's not like, I'm a woman, women should be in charge! I just want there to be equality for everybody.'
**So obviously she gets irked when people say she’s degrading women: **
‘I mean, guy rappers grab their crotch all fucking day and have hos around them, but no one talks about it. But if I grab my crotch and I have hot model bitches around me, I'm degrading women? I'm a woman – I should be able to have girls around me! But I'm part of the evolution of that. I hope.’
The May issue of Elle comes out digitally on April 15 and in print on April 22.
Pictures: Getty, Elle
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.