janetbody10.jpg In the new issue of Essence, Janet Jackson says she's happier with her body now than she was three decades ago, and the 44-year-old singer says she was embarrassed about her developing body during her time on the TV series Good Times.

Poor Janet had to wear a bandage under her shirt to hide her chest, and she recalls the experience. "I started developing at a young age. They didn't tell me that they were going to do this," she says. "They just did it as I was getting dressed for the first show. So under the little sweatshirt, that Band-Aid is wrapped around my chest to make me look flatter. That plays tricks here [she points to her head]. You're an innocent kid and you immediately start thinking how you look naturally isn't good enough. It really affected me, up until now."

Janet says she has changed her attitude, "There comes a time when you don't give an F what people say or think. You just do your thing because it's finally about you and not in a selfish way but in a great way." Jackson is currently writing "True You," a self-help book with exercise and diet tips. Janet says, "I wanted to write this book because I wanted kids to have something to read and know that that they are beautiful as they are. It took me a good minute to get here. It really did. But I love my life. I only wish I had this confidence when I was younger."