‘My soul just burned away’: Gaga opens up about her sexual assult
Lady Gaga's red-carpet history is among Hollywood's most outrageous.
She's donned everything from meat dresses to mesh naked gowns. However, when the American Horror Story star wears those crazier looks, she isn't actually feeling that confident in them.
She explained to Billboard: "If you see me dressing really out there, I tend to be self-deprecating inside. When I dress like a lady, I tend to be feeling very wild and confident."
One of the reasons for this, she went on to explain is that mental health issues have had a impact on her self-confidence and how she portrays herself when in the spotlight.
"That sounds bizarre, but I get a lot of shit done with that blond hair. I haven't changed. It's just that I'm almost 30. I'm learning how to function effectively in society," she added.
The singer has struggled with depression and anxiety "my entire life; I still suffer with it every single day."
She started her Born This Way Foundation in order to help teens going through it:
"I just want these kids to know that that depth that they feel as human beings is normal. We were born that way. This modern thing, where everyone is feeling shallow and less connected? That's not human."
She also opened up about recovering from her own sexual assault in the interview. It became an experience she tapped into to write and perform Til It Happens to You for other survivors.
"The hardest part for me was the self-acceptance," she said. "There's an inability to acknowledge to yourself, 'Not only did this happen, but I'm pretty f—ed up about it.' And nobody knows how you feel. I didn't tell anyone [about my sexual assault] for years—and I didn't tell anyone for years because I didn't tell myself for years."
She went on to say that her inability to process the assualt lead to her feeling completely drained and not in control of herself or her emotions:
"My soul just burnt out until it was gone. And then you have to admit you were in pain, and that you died in a way, but you are in control to bring it back, and there are people in the world who'll help you."