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TWICE's Jihyo opened up about her struggle to increase her self-confidence and stop hating herself because of her shortcomings that she constantly noticed.
Jihyo ]TWICE talks a lot about self-confidence. How to overcome self-hatred is also revealed.
On July 1, a video featuring Jihyo in “My Private Art Museum” was uploaded on the YouTube channel “14F Il Sa F.” In the video, the TWICE leader tells his journey from 11 years as a trainee until his debut.
He said, “We cried in the waiting room with the members. I especially remember crying a lot with Nayeon and Jeongyeon, because we had been trainees for a long time.”
Jihyo shared, “I was a trainee for a long time, with many ups and downs. I even ran away from home once and stopped going to agencies, thinking, ‘Maybe this isn't the right job for me.’ I even gained weight during that time. Finally, the company suggested that I appear on Mnet's 'SIXTEEN' (2015), which led to my debut. It felt like I had finally achieved my goal after 11 years.”
When asked why he chose TWICE's hit song “Feel Special” as the theme, he explained, “Because next year will be my 10th anniversary and I spent 11 years as a trainee, so I thought it would be fun to look back at my precious moments.”
Jihyo wanted to discuss self-esteem, saying, “Because my job requires constant evaluation, I often think about self-esteem.”
Regarding whether he ever felt his self-esteem drop, he answered, “During my trainee days and the first 8-9 years after debut, I had low self-esteem. I was constantly being evaluated and told to improve things, so I started to only see my shortcomings. Even when looking in the mirror, I would think, ‘This is not pretty, how can I make it pretty?’ Watching the monitor, I would think, ‘Why am I dancing like that? Why do I sing like this?’ I evaluate myself like everyone else.”
One day, she looked in the mirror and thought, “Why do I hate myself? I need to love myself to be loved by others.”
To overcome this, he started saying "I love you, Jihyo" before sleeping. At first, it felt awkward, but doing it every day helped her truly love herself. He began to discover the positive aspects of watching the monitor and turned his traits into strengths.
Jihyo shared, “I realized that what's inside is more important than what's outside. Focusing too much on appearance can lead to losing understanding of who I am. Instead, I fill myself with things I love, which makes me feel less critical or more in love with myself.”
When asked how she protects herself from other people's eyes, she admitted, “I get hurt a lot and can't avoid seeing malicious comments. These comments make me feel uncomfortable. When I realized the importance of self-esteem, I focused on taking care of myself. I engage in hobbies that I enjoy, meet friends, eat delicious food, and appreciate every day.”
“I became so busy with my own life that other people's opinions no longer mattered. I don't have time to think about other people's views. It's not about thinking, 'I'll do this instead,' but more about realizing, 'I need to live for myself,'" he concluded.
Jihyo's story is a reminder of how important it is to love ourselves and protect our self-esteem from the negative influences of others. Hopefully this story inspires us all to find the strength within ourselves and live life with confidence. (wk/inta)
