Miley Cyrus became a household name for families when her Disney Channel television show, "Hannah Montana," premiered in 2006. Cyrus, now 20, quickly rose to pop star fame and has been changing her appearance ever since. Here the singer attends a July 12 event in Los Angeles.
(CNN) -- Stop stripping. Stop letting yourself be "pimped." And for heaven's sake, stop licking sledgehammers, Miley.
That's the advice from Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, who's penned a motherly, if expletive-laden open letter to former Disney star Miley Cyrus in the wake of a controversial video music awards show performance and the video for her latest single, "Wrecking Ball."
"Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women, for you to send across the message that you are to be valued (even by you) more for your sexual appeal than your obvious talent," the 46-year-old singer says in the letter posted on her official website.
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Cyrus, 20, was the subject of widespread scorn in August, when she danced provocatively in a skimpy outfit during MTV's Video Music Awards show. Soon after, she released the video for her latest single, in which she rides a wrecking ball while nude and suggestively licks a sledgehammer.
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"I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos," O'Connor wrote. "It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it's the music business or yourself doing the pimping."
In a Rolling Stone article, Cyrus compared her look in the "Wrecking Ball" video to O'Connor's style in her iconic 1990 video for "Nothing Compares 2 U." But O'Connor said she chose the shaved-head look in direct defiance of music industry executives who wanted her to present a sexier appearance.
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She said the music industry doesn't care much about Cyrus.
"They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think it's what YOU wanted," she said.
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While Cyrus hasn't directly commented on the letter, she appeared to respond Thursday with a pair of tweets. One made apparent references to O'Connor's previous struggles with mental illness, and the other showed a picture of O'Connor tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II in 1992.
O'Connor was in the news in 2011, when her online efforts to find a "sweet sex-starved man" went viral.
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The future pop star with her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, in October 1994 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The father and daughter team make a New York appearance for the Disney Channel in February 2006.
Cyrus performs during the Radio Disney Totally 10 Birthday Concert in July 2006 in Anaheim, California.
Cyrus chats with VJ Susie Castillo during an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live in February 2007 at MTV Studios in New York City.
Cyrus starred with Emily Osmand in an episode of "Hannah Montana" in June 2007.
Cyrus appears at the 2007 American Music Awards in Los Angeles.
The actress arrives at the Teen Vogue Young Hollywood Party at Vibiana in September 2007 in Los Angeles.
Cyrus arrives at a film premiere in Hollywood in January 2008.
Cyrus performs for ABC's "Good Morning America" at New York's Bryant Park in July 2008.
Cyrus appears at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Westwood, California, in 2009.
Cyrus performs during her "Wonder World" tour at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in November 2009 in Uniondale, New York.
Cyrus and her mother, Tish Cyrus, at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in January 2010 in Los Angeles.
Cyrus impersonates singer Justin Bieber in a Saturday Night Live skit with Vanessa Bayer in March 2011.
Cyrus performs at a music festival in June 2010 in Arganda del Rey, Spain.
Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth arrive at the 2012 People's Choice Awards at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in January 2012 in Los Angeles.
The singer arrives at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May 2012.
Cyrus poses on the red carpet for the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles in September 2012.
The grown-up Cyrus performs during the "VH1 Divas" concert in Los Angeles in December 2012.
Cyrus attends the Costume Institute Gala for the "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6 in New York City.
Cyrus winks during an interview at a radio station in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt, Germany, on July 22.
Cyrus shows off her moves with Robin Thicke during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards in Brooklyn, New York, on Sunday, August 25.
Cyrus is seen leaving her London hotel on September 11.
Cyrus performs onstage during the iHeart Radio Music Festival Village on September 21 in Las Vegas.
Taran Killam and Cyrus pose in a promo for her upcoming Saturday Night Live episode on October 5.
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