Blondie icon Debbie Harry has spoken out in support of pop sensation Miley Cyrus and applauded her flair for originality and impressive self-confidence in a new interview with Britain's Event magazine.

Speaking about Cyrus's outlandish outfits and bold behaviour, the 'Heart Of Glass' legend explained that it's important for women to be true to themselves and to not let public criticism dull down their personalities: 

"I think it's great what the likes of Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus are doing. They take a lot of flak about how they present their sexuality - but we should cherish them, not criticise them."

"Nothing much has changed since the '70s. These women need to shrug off the criticisms, as I did back in the day. The whole point of rock music is the forbidden fruit and the clandestine - that's what excites youngsters, who want to express themselves and their sexuality. Something they're not allowed to (do)."

Back in May, Harry spoke about Cyrus's trademark twerking and joked that rocker Iggy Pop has been doing that throughout his entire career: "I think it [risqué behaviour] is becoming more par for the course, although I think there's more nudity now. But as far as doing something that's offensive or antisocial [chuckles]...we were probably as antisocial as they come. And I think Iggy [Pop] has been vomiting and twerking for most of his career! So there you go."

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Watch a recent interview with Harry below: