Lizzo hated herself due to a lack of representation in the media.
The US singer has said she fantasised about being someone other than herself.
She has blamed her intense self-hatred on the make-up of the media, and her treatment in school.
Lizzo, real name Melissa Jefferson, told Elle magazine that she now takes self-love “very seriously” after struggling with a lack of representation of women like her.
Speaking about her crisis of confidence and identity, she told Elle: “I didn’t love who I was.
THANK U, QUEEN ✨👑 https://t.co/FBpYL2S19u
— |L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) September 4, 2019
“And the reason I didn’t love who I was is because I was told I wasn’t lovable by the media, by (people at) school, by not seeing myself in beauty ads, by not seeing myself in television… by lack of representation.
“My self-hatred got so bad that I was fantasizing about being other people.
“But you can’t live your life trying to be somebody else. What’s the point?”
Lizzo has said that reaching out for help and beginning to communicate what she was feeling helped her make it out of a dark period in her life.
The singer now feels more comfortable in her own body, and relishes the adoration of the crowds who come to see her perform.
She said: “I’m so grateful for it.”
The full interview with Lizzo can be read in Elle magazine.