Chloe Bailey Responds To Critics With A Message of Unwavering Self-Love
"It's okay to be all that you are and to stand in that power."
Chloe Bailey, the 22-year-old singer and one half of the sister duo Chloe x Halle, released a tearful response to criticism about videos she recently posted online. She addressed the hate with a poignant video message on Sunday, explaining that the videos are the product of self-love, body acceptance, and her journey to self confidence rather than an attempt to get attention.
"I've been really insecure for a long time, and I'm finally at that place where I have self-confidence," she says in the 20-minute Instagram video before pausing to wipe tears. She also explained that some of the videos that raised eyebrows were several months or over a year old.
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Read more of Bailey's message below.
"I'm really happy that I get to share that with you all. And I think it's so important and so special when a Black woman can be strong and stand in her power in every single way.
I do it musically. With my songwriting and my producing, I feel so badass. And I get the same feeling when I dance in my room, when I just own who I am and my body. And for so long, I used to think I was like fat, and I used to hate my stretch marks and my cellulite. I'm not gonna cry. But it's like now, I really love who I am.
And I don't post what I post for validation from anybody, or even male attention. It's just me. And a lot of people who know, who's on my private Instagram, they see that's how I find my confidence because it has taken me a lot to appreciate myself and my body. There's been so many times when I felt I wasn't pretty enough, where I have a lot of issues with my weight, so it's a pivotal time for me. I'm just now learning at like 22, almost 23, that it's okay to be all that you are and to stand in that power.
That's why I'm so appreciative of all of you who've been supporting me. And I'm not going to change who I am. If I did, I would be a catfish and you all wouldn't see the real me that my family sees, that Halle knows."
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Both Chloe and Halle have addressed embracing a more mature image as they entered their latest era of music with the release of their 2020 album, Ungodly Hour. "This all feels like such a natural transition for us. It's just like us turning into butterflies," Halle told BAZAAR.com last summer. "We're going through these things, the experiences are actually happening to us.
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"You know, we grew up on YouTube," she continued. "People have been watching us sing since we were 10 and eight years old. So I can completely understand how people would be like, 'Oh, my goodness, I'm just now realizing they don't stay 10 and eight years old forever. They're actually now 20 and 22 years old.' I think it's a beautiful transition that's happened, and I think it's really exciting and encouraging to hear from our peers and our supporters that they understand it and that they are proud of us."
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This article originally appeared on Harper’s BAZAAR US