Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus has defended photographs in which she is seen frolicking with a female companion - insisting the photos are entirely "innocent."

The 15-year-old faced a storm of criticism after the pictures, which showed her rolling around on a hotel room floor and sharing a piece of candy with a friend, were leaked on the Internet and deemed to have inappropriate sexual undertones.

But the teenager has hit back claiming there is nothing erotic about the images.

She says, "They're nothing bad! It's not something I'm going to let slide. I'm really upset about it, 'cause it was, like, not even a big deal. That's one of my best friends. I have all these girls who I hang out with all the time. It's two girls at a sleepover, and if all of a sudden that's bad, then what is the world coming to?"

-Miley Cyrus Pictures
-Hannah Montana Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)