Miley Cyrus debuts major appearance change as she accepts milestone honor

Miley Cyrus looked stunning as she was inducted as a Disney Legend at D23. The Hannah Montana star has certainly changed a lot since she first appeared on Disney Channel, which was evident as she showed off her latest appearance change at the ceremony.

The 31-year-old took to Instagram to share a clip displaying the transformation, as she wore her long wavy hair in a soft brunette shade highlighted gold, with curtain bangs that framed her face. She paired the understated look with a black suit-like dress with a deep plunging neckline and shoulder pads that cut a dramatic silhouette.

Miley captioned the clip, which saw her posing with Mickey Mouse after she'd molded her hands and signed the plaque, with an emotional dedication to Disney - thanking them for helping start her career.

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"Thank you. Such an honor to be inducted as a Disney Legend," she wrote. "This award is dedicated to Hannah Montana and all of her fans. You’ve shown me legendary love & loyalty. Forever grateful."

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Miley first starred as Hannah Montana when she was 13 years old, alongside her dad. As she was inducted as a Disney Legend, she became the youngest to accept the honor in a tearful moment .

Attending the fan convention, Miley said she was "still proud to have been Hannah Montana," and that while "a little bit of everything has changed", "at the same time nothing has changed at all."

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The singer also joked that she "definitely wasn't created in a lab," contrary to rumors that Disney kids are created in the Californian Disney office.

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"If I was, there must have been a bug in the system which caused me to malfunction somewhere between the years of 2013 and 2016," she teased in reference to her controversial Bangerz music era which saw her duet with Robin Thicke in an infamous performance of "Blurred Lines" at the VMAs.

Miley's major style transformation

One thing that has changed radically over the years is Miley's sense of style. As a Disney star, the "Party in the U.S.A." star was known for her auburn-toned brunette locks and wholesome All American vibe.

© Kevin Winter/ACM2009

At the start of the 2010s, she distanced herself from that classic teen icon imagery, and in 2013 she cut her hair short and dyed it bleached blonde as she released songs like "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball."

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Towards the latter half of that decade, the songstress grew her hair longer and shrugged off the controversy associated with her Bangerz era, particularly as she debuted her softer side with the song "Malibu."

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Miley's latest look, as of 2024, is certainly a softer appearance when compared to the cropped blonde look she wore in 2013, and the longer waves in 2017.