Janet Jackson: "They Used To Bind My Chest"

She was only 11 years old when Good Times producers took some painful measures to make her look younger. Plus, has Oprah caused family feuding?

By Marc Malkin, Brett Malec Nov 11, 2010 6:45 PMTags
Janet JacksonChris Jackson/Getty Images

Janet Jackson's early years weren't always Good Times.

In the new issue of Health magazine, the superstar singer-actress opens up about the nightmare she endured at just 11 years old while shooting the 1970s television sitcom..

"It was hard from a very early age," she says when asked about dealing with body image issues as a child actor. "My first true experience with it was when I did Good Times, and they used to bind my chest because I was developing breasts at a young age."

She continued, "I got the part when I was 10 years old and started shooting when I was 11. I was a very quiet kid. A really sweet kid, I might add. [Laughs.] I never said no. I said, 'OK, that's fine if that's what you want to do.' I would always cave in—still as an adult I continued to [cave in]. I never told anybody that for so long. Not until I became an adult did anyone ever know."

The 44-year-old also reveals how the upsetting experience affected her emotionally.

"It immediately makes you think, 'The way I am isn't good enough.' That's the message that it sent to me: 'The way you look now isn't right....' It would make me sad. It wouldn't make me mad. It would hurt."

Meanwhile, Janet is enduring another round of gossip about her famous family. This time it's a report in the New York Daily News that she's not too pleased with her mom, Katherine, for allowing Michael's kids to appear on Oprah.

Janet's rep did not immediately comment.