Miley Cyrus can buy herself flowers and write her own name in the sand, and she can most certainly decide where and how she's going to stand during a photo op.
While attending the Palm Springs International Film Festival last Saturday, Cyrus walked the red carpet in a sharp, all-black suit and sleek sunglasses. She paused on the red carpet, holding a few poses for photographers to take their pictures, before she produced the pair of sunglasses.
Seeing them prompted several rude photographers to shout, "No!" at her over and over again, as if issuing commands to her to keep her face fully visible.
Miley being Miley, she put on the sunglasses, held another pose, and then turned her attention to the photographers who yelled at her.
Cyrus said:
"If you yell at me, I do the opposite!"
"You know this. I've known you for 20 years. If you tell me not to put the glasses on, I put them on."
Having made her point, she then removed the sunglasses and resumed her position on the red carpet to take a few more photographs before moving on.
You can catch the moment here:
Instagrammers were proud of Cyrus and supported the clapback.
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
@pagesix/Instagram
Cyrus's clapback also became popular on Twitter (X), where X users applauded her for standing up for herself.
This isn't just about Cyrus setting boundaries for herself. It's about common decency and treating people with respect, kindness, and patience—like humans instead of commodities.
Cyrus just happens to be one of those people who is not afraid to speak up about how she's being treated and push back against it, making this an iconic and viral-worthy moment.
If more celebrities spoke up in a respectful tone and set boundaries like this, we might see more positive relationships between celebrities and reporters.
