Miley Cyrus Says Pole Dancing At 16 Was Her ‘Mom’s Idea’ As Social Media Reacts To The ‘Sick’ News: ‘Insane’

Miley Cyrus has done some pretty controversial performances over the years, but it’s safe to say that the first one to raise eyebrows came when she was 16 years old at the Teen Choice Awards in 2009. If you need a memory jog, that happens to be the performance where Miley sang “Party in the U.S.A.” while dancing on stage with a pole attached to an ice cream cart. Now, nearly 15 years later, the singer revealed where that idea came from: her mother. Keep reading for more information.

“Party in the U.S.A.” was just 5 days old at the time of the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, making Miley’s infamous pole dancing performance the very first for the song. About halfway through the song, Miley struts across stage and steps onto an ice cream cart with a pole attached to it.

While most of the 30-second period she was holding onto the pole consisted of just that—her holding onto the pole while being wheeled across the stage, she still received quite a bit of backlash over the performance, given she was just 16 years old and again, performing at the Teen Choice Awards.