Are they embarrassing?

''I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be artistic and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed,'' Miley Cyrus said Sunday in a statement through her publicist.

''I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.''

Miley Cyrus is taking issue with a photo of herself that's going around, and it's not another amateur, truth-or-dare Internet snapshot -- it's the handiwork of Annie Leibovitz. The photos, appearing in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, were taken by Leibovitz, a renowned celebrity photographer whose edgy, silver-toned portraits have included subjects such as Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and a naked, pregnant Demi Moore.

[Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair Photos by The Associated Press]