Miley Cyrus defends herself in a scandal in which she was accused of mocking Asian people after a photograph showed the teenage star stretching the corners of her eyes.

 

The 16-year-old singer and actress wrote on Thursday in a post on her official Web site that she had not poked fun at members of any ethnicity and that she “was simply making a goofy face.” In addition, the “Hannah Montana” star said that she had apparently been the victim of a scheme in which “someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me.”

 

The snap, which can be seen on the Internet, shows Miley Cyrus and some of her friends making slant-eyed gestures. An Asian young boy sits next to the singer in the photo, but he does not take part in the group pose.

 

The Organization of Chinese Americans disparaged the teenage Disney star for setting “a terrible example” for her admirers. Moreover, OCA executive director George Wu said in a statement that the group expected Miley Cyrus to apologize to her fans.

 

In response to the request, Cyrus said that she was sorry if anybody “took (the photos) out of context,” but added that the press wanted to make her look like the “new bad girl.”

 

This is the most recent photo scandal that got the “Hannah Montana” star up the creek. Last year, some photographs of the tween queen sparked national controversy, since the shots by Annile Leibovitz captured the back-then 15-year-old Cyrus revealing her bare back and shoulders, covered only by a sheet.