Chloe Bailey Says Being Called ‘Too Sexy’ Made Her Question Her Worth

Chloe Bailey has heard nearly every opinion imaginable about her body, her music, and how she chooses to show up. Good, bad, and indifferent.

Like so many Black women celebs, she’s often the topic of conversation and public opinion. And oftentimes, those opinions aren’t even asked for.

While she has no problem jumping on social media to defend herself, or clap back, or stunting on a red carpet with her in-your-face, bold style and head-turning hair sorcery, she admits the comments have affected her. This week, she opened up about how.

Chloe Bailey On Being Called ‘Sexy’: ‘I’ve Been In This Skin All My Life’

During an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Chloe reflected on the years she spent being labeled “too sexy.” Much of the chatter started after she launched her solo career. Several critics accused her of changing her image following her ChloexHalle days with her sister Halle Bailey.

Chloe disagreed.

“I’ve been in this skin all my life,” she said. “I was confused. I was like, ‘Whoa, what is happening?’”

She told Call Your Daddy host Alex Cooper she never understood the backlash, forever embracing the woman she’d always been.

But instead of shrinking herself, Chloe made her haters her motivators in a way.

“When that happened, it was like almost taking something bad and making it good. And because of all that negativity, I got my first platinum single,” she continued, highlighting the success of “Have Mercy.”

“My debut solo single turned platinum… And that’s insane because even talking about it now, that’s a huge debut.”

But leading with self-love wasn’t all roses and unbreakable confidence during those days.

Chloe recalled breaking down in tears backstage after performing “Have Mercy” at the MTV VMAs. “There were so many people who told me I couldn’t do it—that I wasn’t good as a solo artist,” she said. “People that I knew personally would tell me that. I just really didn’t feel like I was worth much.”

For Chloe, however, that performance wasn’t about proving critics wrong.

“It was like I got to prove it to myself that I was good enough.”

Chloe Bailey Makes Her Haters Her Motivators

And being “good enough” also came with a cost. The singer also opened up about how the pressure surrounding her solo career eventually affected her mental health. After the song “Have Mercy” became a hit, Chloe said everyone around her became focused on making every move perfect. When her debut album sold around 10,000 copies—numbers she noted are common in today’s music landscape—the internet quickly declared it a disappointment.

Those comments started following her everywhere, including while she was on tour.

And though fans sang every lyric back to her night after night, the pressure eventually caught up with her.

Chloe described one performance where she felt disconnected from herself completely. After the show, her manager, Shermay, gave her a reminder Chloe says changed everything.

“Don’t ever let no motherf–ckers take your joy from you. Something that God gave you.”

From that point forward, Chloe said she stopped tying her self-worth to internet commentary. She’s been, in her words, “on Cloud 9″ ever since.

Chloe’s story reinforces what many of us deal with every day – and while the media (and the culture) can paint a picture of the “strong Black woman,” there is nothing wrong with admitting the opposite. At moments we may not be strong. Self-doubt can replace self-love. Sometimes the inspirational quotes, podcast clips, or girlfriend chats just aren’t enough.

But Chloe – a Cancer Queen – didn’t let naysayers paralyze her – and neither should we.

Behind every headline about being “too sexy” or comment about someone “doing too much” or “not enough” is a woman learning how to celebrate herself. She’s protecting her mental health, not letting strangers decide her value, and doing it all her way.