Paris Jackson, the only daughter of the late pop music icon Michael Jackson, recently shared that despite being mixed race, she identifies as a black woman.
Saying her father would insist she’s black, “be proud of your roots,” Paris honors her father’s roots and legacy – both musically and physically – remarking, “I consider myself black.”Born April 3, 1998, Paris Jackson, an American actress, model, and singer, is the daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe.
Paris, 25, and her two brothers Bigi, 22, and Prince, 27, were born into the spotlight, with scores of fans wanting to know everything about the newest members of the Jackson family.
When they were young, the Billie Jean singer tried to protect his children from prying eyes with blankets (for Bigi), masks, and veils.
In 2007, Jackson’s bodyguard told People the three kids were “well-mannered, well-behaved kids…They are really level-headed…They were Michael’s first priority.”
But in 2009, the layer of protection was removed with the death of their father and the young kids were tossed alone into the public eye, turning them into highly profitable prey for the paparazzi.
And it left Paris experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She shared: “I experience audio hallucinations, sometimes, with camera clicks and severe paranoia and have been going to therapy for a lot of things, but that included.”
The young woman also admitted she attempted suicide “multiple times” by age 15, and in 2019, she entered a treatment facility.
She said: “It was just self-hatred…Low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore.”
‘She is who my dad is’
Today, she leans heavily on the influence of her big brother Prince Michael Jackson, whom she shares, “He’s everything to me, you know?” In 2020, she told People of her relationship with Prince, “I’ve always looked up to him and always wanted his approval and everything, and wanted to be more like him.”
Yet Prince says his little sister is more like their father. “Basically, as a person, she is who my dad is. The only thing that’s different would be her age and her gender.”
He adds that his little sister is similar to her father “in all of her strengths, and almost all of her weaknesses as well. She’s very passionate.”
In addition to being hyper passionate about her career – she’s walked the runway for major fashion brands like Chanel and is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band The Soundflowers – she’s also committed to honoring her father’s legacy
“Everyone in my family does music. I mean, I’m a Jackson,” she said in 2020. “It makes sense that I’m a musician but like, a Jackson doing folk indie?”