We see them shining, smiling and usually dressed to the nines. It's hard to imagine that those glossy stars that we see on our screens (TV, smartphone, tablet, etc) can have very low self-esteem or none at all even, especially because they're adored and looked up to by millions of people around the world.
But this list will show you that sometimes riches, good looks, fame and success can't give you something as basic as self-esteem. In fact celebrities might have it worse than the rest of us. They're constantly in the public eye, so they have to deal with the judgement of others coming at them left, right and center. Yes, it might be what they signed up for but it still doesn't make it enjoyable.
So keep reading and learn from the mistakes and experiences of others, because this list will demonstrate to you what actions and behaviors show up when someone has no self-esteem. You might see such behaviors within yourself, and if that's the case then you need to make a change so you don't get any worse and wind up like these celebs, riddled with self-doubt and issues.
15 Kim Kardashian
It's hard to think of Kim Kardashian as someone who doesn’t have self-esteem. She’s beautiful, has a smoking hot body and will always leave her house looking absolutely perfect. She seems to be the personification of high self-esteem. But do not be fooled by all the makeup and awesome clothes, because it’s actually quite the opposite.
If Kim Kardashian actually had high self-esteem she wouldn’t feel the need to be looking flawless all the time, or have the compulsion to upload provocative photos of herself to social media. When she does this, it's because she has low self-esteem and is looking outside, to the world, for validation and approval. She’s always enhancing her looks because deep down she feels like she’s not good enough and that there is always room for improvement. This my friend is how people become hooked on plastic surgery. People with high self-esteem don’t need to be proving to others that they’re good looking. They naturally feel that way without other people’s approval.
14 Khloe Kardashian
For many she's considered the “ugly” Kardashian sister and Khloe knows that her sisters' can over-shadow hers. In an episode of the Kardashians, Khloe admitted to the cameras that she suffered from low self-esteem which is why she didn't want to do a sexy photo-shoot even though she was in the best shape of her life. Going to show that even when you're looking your best your self-esteem can fail you. Still, we're happy to see that Khloe is coming out of her shell and rocking that smoking hot curvaceous body of hers and that regardless of how she sees herself her fans adore her.
It's not easy to be in front of the cameras, especially when you're competing for attention with beautiful looking siblings who oftentimes tend to steal the spotlight. But Khloe has managed to shine with her own light. And that photoshoot ended up looking absolutely amazing in the end.
13 Kylie Jenner
It is truly sad to see such a young girl with serious self-esteem issues. Like her older sister, the younger Jenner sibling has a vast following of social media users who won’t hesitate for a second to praise their young idol.
But when you take a glance behind the inflated lips and the tons of makeup, you may notice that this young woman is actually sending out a cry of help. She’s not even twenty years old and already she’s had a few surgical procedures to enhance her looks. Do you actually think that if she had a healthy level of self-esteem she would go through all that just to look the way she does? It is no secret for anyone who has watched her grow up that Kylie looks completely different than her younger self. Clearly showing that she was not happy with her looks.
It actually seems like she’s working really hard to look like her sister Kim Kardashian, another woman who doesn’t have an inch of self-esteem.
12 Miley Cyrus
Long gone are the days when little Hannah Montana showed girls around the world to treasure themselves and behave in a positive manner. Hannah Montana was someone who girls looked up to because she seemed to have her self sorted out. She had values and appreciation for her body, mind and how she portrayed herself to the world.
Then in the blink of an eye little Hannah Montana grew up and became Miley Cyrus. At the start she seemed like a successful young woman who had the world at her feet. But after breaking up with her handsome boyfriend Liam Hemsworth something happened to her and she shed the last of her self-esteem on the wrecking ball she famously humped for her music video.
Oversexualization, vulgar vocabulary, skimpy attire and over exposure of her private parts showed the entire world that Miley Cyrus had not only lost her mind but also her self-esteem.
Fortunately for her she seems to slowly be getting herself together. But the world will never forget her wild ways that made us feel embarrassed for her and her parents.
11 Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber, as we all know was thrown into the spotlight as the young Canadian star with the best voice of his generation, but if any of you have seen the tabloids in the past few years, you will know that the young star has gone from being an innocent teen to what some may call a problem boy. From spitting on fans from his balcony, talking trash about other celebs, and getting into drug culture, being in the limelight has really affected his self-esteem to the point where he suffers from depression and struggles to make it through the day. He revealed in an interview with NME Magazine that living up to the expectations of being a bad boy celebrity, a young sex symbol and dealing with fame in general put so much pressure on him and isolated him to the extent that his sense of self was almost destroyed. At least now he is turning things around and focusing on making good music rather than good gossip.
10 Emma Watson
Surprisingly enough, Emma Watson has battled with low self-esteem ever since she hit the spotlight in the first of the Harry Potter films, although you would never have guessed since her character Hermione Granger was brimming with power and confidence. She has admitted in a number of interviews that low self-esteem made her extremely uncomfortable when friends and fans would take pictures of her which led to arguments in some instances, and seeing herself on the front cover of magazines was actually very difficult since the beautiful person in the pictures was not the person she felt she was in reality, although she was able to keep her insecurities out of the public sphere. No one is immune from the pressures of body image and beauty, and just imagine what it is like to have the entire world looking at you! Thankfully, Emma has admitted that her self-esteem has improved since commencing her studies at Brown University.
9 Kirsten Stewart
The star from the Twilight series has been known to be quite withdrawn from her fans and fame in general and we can't blame her for being a bit on the quiet side, but many of Kirsten's actions in the past few years have really revealed her as craving the praise and attention of others rather than having the core strength in herself to stand up. We all remember her cheating on then boyfriend Robert Pattinson with director Rupert Sanders, and more recently her finally admitting that she is very deeply affected by what people think of her but also purposefully planning paparazzi photoshoots in public while attempting to still pretend that she really doesn't care. She seems to rely on her relationships and the public eye to inform her of her own value, a sure sign of low self-esteem, but who hasn't experienced similar feelings? We are all human.
8 Jennifer Lopez
Now, this one surprised me during my research as much as I bet it surprises you too, but the amazing and beautiful Jennifer Lopez has suffered through low self-esteem issues ever since she was a child, with it seriously affecting her personal relationships and her ability to find and feel like she deserves love. In an interview with Today Magazine, she revealed that being the middle child in her family meant that she often felt invisible and as a result pushed herself to over-achieve at both school and in her career. While this may not appear to be a bad thing, she said that she only had confidence in what she could do, not in who she was or what she could offer as a girl with these thoughts often getting in the way of her love life and even lowering her confidence. It just goes to show that anyone can be susceptible to this problem.
7 Christina Ricci
After achieving fame at the tender age of 10 in the movie Mermaids (1990) alongside famed actresses Cher and Winona Ryder, Christina Ricci's acting career and life in the spotlight certainly took its toll on her perception of herself. According to the actress, she was so unhappy with her appearance that she covered all of the mirrors in her house and still to this day avoids sitting in restaurants where she can see her own reflection. Her self-esteem and perception of herself has really affected her behavior and life in general, and it made her role in the film Black Snake Moan (2007) an even more difficult experience, since her character was wearing just underwear for the majority of the film. Child stars especially seem to go through a lot of tumult during their lives. All they know is fame and celebrity and that has to put a lot of pressure on a kid, so it's no wonder many of them end up with issues.
6 Nicole Scherzinger
Another surprising name to find on this list is the singer from the world renowned band The Pussycat Dolls, Nicole was always remembered for her amazing looks and lean figure, with men wanting her and women wanting to be her. Plus, she has such a vibrant personality whenever she appears on television. But the side that nobody saw on stage or TV was that she was actually an extremely lonely person who suffered immensely from self harm and bulimia, all caused by her low self-esteem and negative feelings towards herself. Bulimia explains how she was able to maintain her slim frame, and she has said in interviews that she would hide her self-inflicted injuries from the rest of the group and the public, continuing on this path of self-loathing for 8 years. We never would have guessed that she was going through all of this while performing at such a high caliber on stage.
5 Lady Gaga
Although she speaks a bit more candidly about her struggles with self image and self-esteem, Lady Gaga's experiences and actions are still just as revealing as the others on this list. She had revealed previously to Glamour magazine that her outrageous onstage outfits (such as the well documented meat suit) were attempts to draw attention away from the woman named Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta who was underneath the Gaga persona. Dealing with fat shamers and watching as magazines photoshopped her body to be “perfect” really hit her hard, making her feel very self-conscious of how the world perceived her, although you wouldn't have guessed with the amount of bravado she brings to her music and performances. It's clear therefore that Gaga is a character she played in an attempt to boost her self-esteem. In recent times she seems to have been toning down her looks and behavior. Maybe she's maturing and dealing with fewer self-esteem issues today.
4 Iggy Azalea
Now we have all seen Iggy Azalea dancing in her music videos while singing or at least heard her one of her songs, and if you haven't seen a picture of this young Australian hip hop artist then let me tell you that she is pretty stunning and is renowned for having a bootilicious behind. So it is then counter intuitive to find out that she actually dislikes most things about her body! Apparently, the young performer had an awkward and tough time growing up and felt that she was often teased for her looks, which has left some emotional scars even though now she has grown into a beautiful woman. These insecurities coupled with the immense amounts of negativity and body-shaming she has received online from the public have really hit her hard, but let's hope she can move past the haters and find happiness in herself.
3 Joan Rivers
We saw her criticizing celebrities on the red carpet, while rocking a super strong confidence herself. It would be hard to imagine that Joan Rivers actually suffered from low self-esteem, but her behavior showed it. Addicted to plastic surgery, Rivers did everything in her power to hold on to youthful looks in an attempt t lift her self-esteem. I mean who could blame her, the woman would hang-out with the most beautiful women in the world. That alone would put any mortal into a shame spiral (all though it shouldn't). Rivers like many women succumbed to the need to be looking flawless and took her addiction of plastic surgery to the limits, leaving her looking like a motionless plastic doll. This shouldn't have been the case, because we cared more about her rockin' personality and talent as a comedian than the way she looked.
2 Nicki Minaj
Revealed at the 2014 BET awards, Nicki Minaj informed the crowd of her continuing problems involving suicidal thoughts, depression and a decimated self-esteem to which she was met with LAUGHTER rather than a supportive response. However it could go to show why Onika Tanya Manaj (her real name) utilizes such a colorful, powerful onstage persona; it could be a mechanism to hide and protect her true self from the world. In recent appearances, Nicki Minaj has been toning down her dress and acting more like herself than like her persona which could indicate that she is practicing being comfortable in her own skin, but the response from the crowd at the 2014 BET awards highlights just how little support or understanding some of these superstars receive for their work on stage. Perhaps people just find it really difficult to believe that such a star would have self-esteem issues. But, unfortunately, it's the truth.
1 Selena Gomez
Selena has had to go through a number of breakups while the whole world watched, such as splitting from Justin Bieber multiple times in their on-again, off-again relationship as well as having to say goodbye to boyfriend Zedd (Anton Zaslavski), but the real punches to her self-esteem came while holidaying in Mexico when a number of pictures surfaced of her in a bikini enjoying her break, with a vast number of fat-shamers blasting her for simply having gained a few pounds. As you could imagine, this kind of treatment hits hard and even though Gomez has constantly spoken out about loving yourself, it is obvious that these comments still hurt very deeply with a close source telling Hollywood Life Magazine that her feelings of low self-esteem have been difficult to deal with. Gomez is another young starlet that doesn't need to be picked apart by the public and the shamers.
Sources: eonline.com, mtv.com, hollywoodlife.com,
