Paris Jackson, the only daughter of the late pop music icon Michael Jackson, recently shared that despite being mixed race, she identifies as a black woman.
Saying her father would insist she’s black, “be proud of your roots,” Paris honors her father’s roots and legacy – both musically and physically – remarking, “I consider myself black.”
Born April 3, 1998, Paris Jackson, an American actress, model, and singer, is the daughter of Michael Jackson and Debbie Rowe.
Paris, 25, and her two brothers Bigi, 22, and Prince, 27, were born into the spotlight, with scores of fans wanting to know everything about the newest members of the Jackson family.
When they were young, the Billie Jean singer tried to protect his children from prying eyes with blankets (for Bigi), masks, and veils.
In 2007, Jackson’s bodyguard told People the three kids were “well-mannered, well-behaved kids…They are really level-headed…They were Michael’s first priority.”
But in 2009, the layer of protection was removed with the death of their father and the young kids were tossed alone into the public eye, turning them into highly profitable prey for the paparazzi.
And it left Paris experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She shared: “I experience audio hallucinations, sometimes, with camera clicks and severe paranoia and have been going to therapy for a lot of things, but that included.”
The young woman also admitted she attempted suicide “multiple times” by age 15, and in 2019, she entered a treatment facility.
She said: “It was just self-hatred…Low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore.”
‘She is who my dad is’
Today, she leans heavily on the influence of her big brother Prince Michael Jackson, whom she shares, “He’s everything to me, you know?” In 2020, she told People of her relationship with Prince, “I’ve always looked up to him and always wanted his approval and everything, and wanted to be more like him.”
Yet Prince says his little sister is more like their father. “Basically, as a person, she is who my dad is. The only thing that’s different would be her age and her gender.”
He adds that his little sister is similar to her father “in all of her strengths, and almost all of her weaknesses as well. She’s very passionate.”
In addition to being hyper passionate about her career – she’s walked the runway for major fashion brands like Chanel and is also the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band The Soundflowers – she’s also committed to honoring her father’s legacy.
“Everyone in my family does music. I mean, I’m a Jackson,” she said in 2020. “It makes sense that I’m a musician but like, a Jackson doing folk indie?”
All about the race
She also connects with her late father on race.
While the Beat It singer had fair skin later in his life, the hitmaker – reported to have Vitiligo, a condition that changes the pigmentation of his skin – was African-American who had a darker complexion in his earlier years.
Jackson faced a lot of speculation over his changing appearance over the course of his career and always denied bleaching his skin.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993, the Thriller star insisted his nose job was the only cosmetic procedure he had and that the depigmentation of his skin was due to his Vitiligo.
“I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am,” Jackson told Winfrey at the time.
With her dad’s African-American heritage in mind, Paris says she identifies as black.
Discussing the situation with Rolling Stone magazine in 2017, Paris said that she “considers [herself] black,” and that “[Michael] would look me in the eyes and he’d point his finger at me and he’d be like, ‘You’re black. Be proud of your roots.’”
Addressing her lighter skin and noting that many people – because of her dyed blonde hair and striking blue eyes – assume she’s from “Finland or something,” she adds, “And I’d be like, ‘okay, he’s my dad, why would he lie to me?’ So I just believe what he told me. [Because], to my knowledge, he’s never lied to me.”
Unsurprisingly, when her declaration of race was published, she received some criticism. Talk show host Wendy Williams was very vocal, mocking Jackson’s only daughter for identifying as a black woman: “I get that she considers herself black and everything, but I’m just talking about the visual because you know…black is not what you call yourself, it’s what the cops see you when they got steel to your neck on the turnpike.”
She adds: “It’s what they see. But that’s cute and good for her.”
