Janet Jackson, who struggled with body image issues throughout her life, recalls how even her brother, the late Michael Jackson, teased her about her looks as a child.
She spoke about the matter in her new documentary, Janet Jackson., which she co-produced. It features rare commentary from the notoriously private “Rhythm Nation” singer and former child actress.
“When I was 10 years old, I did [the sitcom] Good Times and that’s the beginning of having weight issues and the way I looked at myself,” Janet, 55, said in part three of the four-part documentary, airing Saturday, Jan. 29, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. “I was developing at a very young age and I started getting a chest and they would bind my chest so I would look more flat-chested.”
She continued, “And then there were times when Mike used to tease me and call me names. He used to call me ‘pig,’ ‘horse,’ ‘slaughter hog,’ ‘cow.’ It wasn’t out of malice on his part at all. Brothers teases sisters, sisters tease brothers, and it was just kind of funny.”