New Miley Cyrus Photo Controversy Hits the Internet

If the latest rumors are true, Miley Cyrus should probably look to former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello for guidance. After deflecting pregnancy rumors and questions about her sexual orientation last year, Cyrus, 15, is once again at the center of an Internet controversy.

NationalLedger.com reports that photographs of the "Hannah Montana" star wearing nothing but her underwear currently are circulating on the Internet. The photos in question show a young woman who resembles Miley Cyrus vamping for the camera in panties and a pink t-shirt.

It's hard to tell for sure if the young woman in the photographs truly is the "Hannah Montana" star, a look-alike or just the result of some clever photographic sleight-of-hand, but it does raise some questions about teenage superstars and the image they project.

Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens and the MySpace Mentality

In the Walt Disney family of artists, Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens are two of the most valuable players, but they also have cast the most negative light on the studio.

Last year, full-frontal nude photos of Hudgens appeared on the Internet, which Hudgens later said were intended for a friend. Hudgens publicly apologized for her indiscretion, but young women who idolize the "High School Musical" cast may have taken the photos as an indication that it's okay to pose for racy photos.

The alleged photos of Miley Cyrus look like the kind of shots that would populate a MySpace page, but that doesn't necessary make them acceptable. The MySpace pages of many young women contain risqué shots and if Miley Cyrus is indeed posing for racy photographs, more young women may follow suit.

Miley Cyrus and Annette Funicello

Miley Cyrus' rapid rise to fame is reminiscent of another hot young Disney star by the name of Annette Funicello, who became a teenage sex symbol in the 1950's thanks to the original "Mickey Mouse Club."