Miley Cyrus‘ tongue of controversy.

Miley Cyrus' tongue is often a topic of national conversation, since the singer sticks it out so much. It became her thing, her calling card. So what's the deal? Why can't she keep that thing inside her mouth?

As it turns out, it's almost a nervous tick for her.

In her chat with Barbara Walters as part of her Most Fascinating People of 2013 selection, Cyrus confessed, "I get embarrassed to take pictures. That's actually the truth. I'm so embarrassed because people are taking pictures of me and I don't know how to smile, and just be awkward, so I stick my tongue out, because I don't know what else to do."

So she deals with the discomfort of taking pictures by flashing her tongue and being silly. That's actually totally understandable. There's nothing worse for a celeb that has flashbulbs in her face constantly to have poor posture or a stiff stance in photos.

And it's not like she can hide behind a glossy curtain of hair anymore, either