Paris Jackson on Teen Struggles and Missing Dad
From the blue nail polish to the feathers in her hair, and the fierce confidence shining in her eyes, it's clear the King of Pop's daughter is growing up.
In the October issue of Glamour magazine, 14-year-old Paris Jackson is opening up about stepping out of her father's shadow.
"I love my dad, and I'm proud to be his daughter," she told the magazine. "I just don't think the title 'MJ's daughter' fits me."
But she said his memory still guides her.
On Aug. 29, Michael Jackson's three children spent what would have been the King of Pop's 54th birthday in Gary, Ind., the town where their father was raised.
"It was really poignant when she talks about how she obsessively watched him and how some of the messages of his music are what she's carrying on in her own life," Glamour's Executive Editor Wendy Naugle told ABC News.
In the magazine's interview Paris freely admits, "I'm a daddy's girl," and promises "I'm going to carry on his legacy and win an award for him."
She doesn't know which award just yet, but her sights are set on acting, despite concerns from some members of the Jackson clan.
"I told her, I said 'You should really take this time to enjoy your youth to the fullest," Janet Jackson told ABC's Juju Chang last December.
Paris tells Glamour she is in no rush to grow up, though. "I'm going to enjoy my childhood, because the older I get, the more it sucks," she said.
"She talks about surfing the 'bu, meaning Malibu. She says Phil Collins is the 'ish.' She's like any other 14-year-old girl that you might meet," Naugle said.
And that comes complete with typical 14-year-old girl problems. Paris vents to her more than 900,000 Twitter followers about her bad hair days, and even boys. Last month she tweeted, "i love that butterflies feeling you get in your stomach <33," and on Tuesday stated, "i hate fighting with him."
Now a freshman in high school, Paris also grapples with "mean girls," a topic she shared with Oprah in June.
"Some people try to cyber bully me, they try to get to me with words, but that doesn't really work," she said.
And around the house, music is a hot topic, of course. "Prince calls me goth, but I'm more rock 'n roll. I listen to older music like AC/DC," Paris said. And when she quizzed Blanket on John Lennon, Paris said her little brother chimed right in, "He's one of the Beatles."
Paris said she almost cried she was so proud of him.
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