Just when you thought you’d already seen too much of Miley Cyrus, new photos of the 15-year-old’s bare back have emerged. The semi-nude pics (Miley holds a blanket over her chest) were taken for Vanity magazine by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

But Miley says she never meant to show so much skin. “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 said in a statement. “I never intended for any of this to happen, and I apologize to my fans, who I care so deeply about.”

In the VF article though, Miley sang a different tune. She said the photo accompanying the story is “really artsy. It wasn’t in a skanky way…. And you can’t say no to Annie. She’s so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you’re like, O.K.”

The Disney Channel, which airs Miley’s hit show Montana, defended their star over the weekend. “Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” a spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight.

Vanity Fair says there was no ulterior motive. “”Miley’s parents and/or minders were on the set all day,” the magazine counters. “Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley.” Vanity Fair told ET, “In fact, when [writer] Bruce Handy interviewed Miley, he asked her about the photo and she was very cheerful about it and thought it was perfectly fine.”

Check the Vanity Fair photos behind the scenes.