Carey: 'I struggled with poor self-esteem'

LONDON: Mariah Carey has learned to cover up her curves after years of dressing provocatively to boost her low self-confidence.

The singer was just entering her teen years when she learned that wearing skimpy outfits would win her compliments - and the revelation prompted her to flaunt more of her body as she got older and embarked on a career as a pop star.

But the Hero hitmaker admits that at 39 years old, she's finally learned how to dress to keep herself happy.

She tells Paper magazine, "I have had very low self-esteem my whole life. When I was 12 or 13, I remember walking up the driveway, and this guy who was 20 - which may have been highly inappropriate - said to me, 'I like your pants,' and I was like 'Oh, that looks good? Oh, OK, I will wear tight pants now."