It's hard to believe Britney Spears ever felt like an "ugly duckling," but the pop star says she's worn bangs throughout her life to feel better about her appearance.
The "Make Me..." singer, 38, shared a photo of herself Monday on Instagram, writing, "I know I need bangs 😜😜!!!!! Who would have thought bangs could make you look waaaaay younger?!?!"
Spears recalled worrying she wasn't "pretty enough" when she first wanted to grow out her bangs as a child.
"I stopped having bangs in the 3rd grade and I remember like it was yesterday ... it was such a big deal to expose my forehead … only pretty people in the south could do that and I never felt pretty enough to pull it off. All the beauty pageant girls did it but I never felt beauty pageants were my thing … I had bad teeth and felt like an ugly duckling," she wrote.
The singer felt even worse about herself after being rejected by a modeling agency. But, she still mustered up the courage to change her hairstyle.
"I met with a modeling agency but I wasn’t pretty enough so I went home and said, 'maybe I can be like the older girls and show my forehead' !!!! I did and it looked sooooo bad but I thought I was gorgeous 🤣 !!!! I think I knew it didn’t look good but I did it because I thought it made me cool .... and I’ve pretty much had it like that ever since!!!!" she continued.
The mom of two said even today having bangs makes her feel "protected."
"People choose different ways to protect themselves … when I pull my bangs in front of my head I feel like I’m protected ... almost like I’m in 3rd grade again ⭐️💖🌸 !!!" she wrote.
It's not the first time Spears has opened up about her insecurities. The Grammy winner revealed last November that she slouches because of "self-esteem problems."
Next to an Instagram video of her doing several back-strengthening yoga poses, Spears wrote, "Body language is everything! The way you speak to yourself and carry yourself can affect your mood ... I have self-esteem problems so I slouch.
"These poses help me every day become stronger and it’s quite fun doing them ... I feel so different every time I do it, cause I’m not used to the feeling of my back being out!!!!" she added.