Backstreet Boys' AJ praises Lizzo for setting an example for girls

AJ McLean has praised Lizzo for the example she sets for girls.

The Backstreet Boys singer believes that the Good as Hell hitmaker's honesty and vulnerability in the public eye is valuable in an age where females are scrutinised on social media.

AJ, who has two daughters with his wife Rochelle, told ET Canada at the launch of his new Paramount+ series The Fashion Hero: A New Kind of Beautiful: "Another great example of what we need more of is someone like Lizzo.

"She is proud, she is loud and she is not ashamed. She is vulnerable. She is honest. She's raw. And that's what I love about people like her.

"We need more people like that, that are just saying, 'Hey, this is beautiful, this is me. I am beautiful no matter what. If I have extra skin here, or if I have whatever, it doesn't matter, because I know myself inside.'"

AJ — who announced that he and Rochelle were "temporarily" separating earlier this week — also discussed his own issues with a lack of self-esteem during his career in the spotlight.

The 45-year-old star said: "A lot of people would probably ask me, 'How is that possible? Look at what you do.'

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I do for a job. But when I walk off that stage, I'm a normal guy just trying to survive. And I'm not okay all the time. I'm not comfortable with myself all the time."

AJ continued: "When I'm on stage, I'm impenetrable. That's my little bubble. That's my safe place. When I'm home with my family, that's my safe place. 

"When I'm on my own, sometimes I get in my head, I get in my own way."

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