Singer Janet Jackson used to "bang" her head "against the wall" when she was younger - because her brothers' mean comments made her feel unattractive.
The star reveals in a new interview for America's Today show that her male siblings - Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael and Randy - taunted her with cruel nicknames, including "horse, pig, cow, and slaughter-hog".
Jackson admits the jokes hit her hard, and she took to harming herself to help her deal with the comments.
She says, "I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn't feel attractive. There was a lot of pain in my life. But I did. I felt very unattractive.
"It makes you laugh, it really does. It makes you laugh. I guess some people could say, 'Oh that's, you know, brothers and sisters joking, it's all affection, it's all, you know, it's in a loving way.' But not everybody can brush it off, and I was one of those."
And the star admits she's still affected by her childhood moments and holds insecurities about her nicknames.
She adds, "I still have issues with it. I don't bang my head up against the wall, but I still have those moments. And I think it'll probably continue but at least I know how to deal with it now. And I'm in a much better space."
The full interview is set to air in the U.S. on Friday (11Feb11).
Tyler Perry re-works and Ntozake Shange's 1975 choreopoem/play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide...
Watch the trailer for Why Did I Get Married TooFor one week every year, 4...
Why Did I Get Married Trailer Following the success of his previous films Diary Of...
I don't expect much from Eddie Murphy these days. For the past four years,...
How many times are we going to have to see some former stand-up comedian dressed...