Mary J. Blige is seen as one of the music industry's most successful and self-assured stars, but she revealed that there were a lot of insecurities that have been part of her life.
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The singer opened up in a new cover story for Elle's February issue about not feeling beautiful or confident in her appearance.
"I didn't feel beautiful—like for real for real, not just 'Hey, I'm pretty' but actually believing it—until about 2016," she confessed.
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She spoke further about how her internal thoughts contrasted with the air of confidence she had been able to build, and attributed a lot of her insecurities to her tumultuous 13-year-marriage to her manager Kendu Isaacs.
Mary said: "If you've been beat down mentally by someone, you're never pretty enough. You're never smart enough. Nothing's ever good enough."
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The R&B superstar elaborated on how when growing up and during her iconic career she's experimented with different hairstyles and how that has paved the way for the same with other Black women, but how hard it was for her to find that assurance herself.
Mary was married to her manager Kendu Isaacs for 13 years
She revealed that it was working on 2017's Mudbound, which landed her multiple Oscar nominations, that gave her the technique to build her confidence.
The star continued: "During Mudbound and when I was married, I was feeling so low. I had to pay myself the highest compliments, even if I didn't believe it, just so I could build myself up."
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"I would do it in the morning, because that's the time when your hair is not done and you don't have on makeup. You're just kind of dealing with yourself for real."
She also excitedly spoke about her upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, slated to air 13 February, which will see her share the stage with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Snoop Dogg.
The singer will be headlining the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show
Referencing her brief appearance in the 2001 mash-up Super Bowl routine, the singer said: "This time I'm going to be front and center—Mary J. Blige, in her glory and greatness and swagger."
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