Singer Janet Jackson, who stars in Tyler Perry’s new movie “For Colored Girls”, looks fabulous in a sexy red dress on the cover of the upcoming issue of Health Magazine (December 2010).

The 44 year-old talks about her body issues, her career as a singer and actress, Hollywood’s pressure to have a perfect image and growing up. Here are some highlights from Janet Jackson’s Health Magazine:

On having her body criticized as a kid: “When I did Good Times, they used to bind my chest because I was developing breasts at a young age… It immediately makes you think, ‘The way I am isn’t good enough.’ They thought I was too heavy and that I needed to lose weight. When I look back at the show, I was your average-size kid.”

On choosing between acting and singing: “I have more of a passion for acting than I do singing, because singing comes so much easier to me. Acting is more of a challenge. I always say to people, ‘I’m really in the wrong business because I don’t like being in front of huge crowds, and I don’t like it when a lot of people are
looking at me.’”

On Hollywood’s obsession with weight: “People tend to put entertainers on pedestals. We’re human beings, just like you… whether we have money or not, we still have bills to pay, we still have our stresses.”

On getting colonics at age 11: “Once a month my mother would drive us to downtown L.A [for the procedure]. That played a big part in my life and career, because I learned at a very young age what discipline truly meant, to be able to pass up the French fries and the piece of candy.”