Janet Jackson Writes a Special Letter to Black Women in 'Essence'
“True happiness is knowing you’re doing the best you can.”
Janet Jackson pens a vivid and intimate letter to black women in her latest magazine cover for Essence magazine’s July/August issue. In the fashion spread shot by Warwick Saint, the world-renowned entertainer dons pieces by Givenchy and Haider Ackermann styled by Robert Behar. Janet, now 52-years-old, candidly expresses in depth about the personal battles she dealt with during her childhood, in her teens and in adulthood.
On how she felt during her teenage years:
“Happiness came when people asked me to perform… but I was happiest when I was pleasing others and not myself. An older and wiser Janet might have said, ‘True happiness is knowing you’re doing the best you can.’”
Later in the feature story, she wrote that she’s at the “height of happiness” when she’s holding her 2-year-old son Eissa in her arms and when sharing special moments with him. When writing about her 30s which were filled with fighting bouts of depression, she said, “thankfully, I found my way through it.” In the fashion spread, the Grammy award-winning artist was joined by members of her talented J Tribe dancers.
The global star will be headlining the annual Essence Festival on Sunday, July 8 in New Orleans. Head over to Essence to read an excerpt of the special letter written by Janet Jackson.
