*Who knew that, of all people, Janet Jackson – who’s receiving the Icon Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) on Sunday (05-20-18) – had issues of low self-esteem?
“Like millions of other women, I’ve struggled with low self-esteem my whole life. I’m doing better in that regard,” Jackson, 52, told Billboard in an extensive interview piece published Thursday. “My inclination toward harsh self-criticism and even self-negation has dramatically eased up. I believe in all the different methods of help — smart psychology, vigorous exercise and sincere spirituality.”
On the other hand, it’s refreshing and encouraging to learn that someone of Jackson’s stature is vulnerable to the same things that regular, everyday people have to deal with. It’s like “if she can do it, I can do it.”
Maybe some of the blame can be directed at her ex-husband, Qatari mogul Wissam al Mana. The billionaire businessman was even more reclusive than the famously shy Jackson and was accused by her older brother, Randy, of verbally abusing her during their five-year marriage, an allegation al Mana has denied.
But that isn’t the only drama Jackson has had to deal with. Her weight fluctuations have made headlines and shaken her confidence, while her family feuded publicly following the death of her beloved brother, Michael.
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The state of the world for women also worries her but she remains confident change will come, especially in the era of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.
“I’m anxious. I’m angry. I’m certainly concerned, but … I’m optimistic,” she said. “We women artists — and women in general — are saying we will not be controlled, manipulated or abused. We’re determined not to fall back to those days of emotional and even physical enslavement. It’s a blessing to be alive today and join in the fight for equality among all human beings.”
Aside from delivering emotional performances since her split, Jackson has also found solace in motherhood. The former couple welcomed son Eissa in January 2017, shortly before calling it quits.
“My son, even in his short 17 months on the planet, has showed me that love, no matter how deeply you believe you have experienced that emotion, can always go deeper,” Jackson gushed of her baby boy. “Love is limitless. And for someone like me, raised in show business where self-concern is always a priority, how fortunate I am now to be concerned, first and foremost, with the welfare of someone else. Day after day and night after night, holding my baby in my arms, I am at peace. … In those moments, all is right with the world.”
source: page six
