In her first ever cover story, Paris Jackson has opened up about her past sufferings to Rolling Stone. Trolled undeservedly for her appearance, Paris has suffered from self-esteem issues since the age of 12. At 14 years old she was sexually assaulted by a much older “complete stranger,” which, coupled with her growing drug addiction, her father’s molestation trials and subsequent death, public scrutiny over her racial heritage (although she strongly identifies as black), and her tumultuous relationship with her biological mother, Debbie Rowe, ultimately led to a suicide attempt in 2013. “It was just self-hatred,” she tells Rolling Stone, “low self-esteem, thinking that I couldn’t do anything right, not thinking I was worthy of living anymore.”
Particularly traumatizing was her father’s death in 2009, for which she blames the team behind Michael Jackson’s This Is It tour, who she claims “(do) not treat their performers right, they drain them dry and work them to death.” As well as Dr. Conrad Murray, who was ultimately convicted of involuntary manslaughter in her father’s death. However, she also alleges that something much more suspicious occurred in relation to her father’s death. “He would drop hints about people being out to get him,” she says. “And at some point he was like, ‘They’re gonna kill me one day.'”
While determined to prove that painful theory at some point in the future, in the meantime she’s focusing on the positive. Most of her track marks are now hidden by her beautiful tattoos, she’s in a loving relationship, and she’s recently turned her attention to the fashion industry, having just made an appearance at Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy couture show and sitting frow at Dior Homme. There’s even rumors of a Chanel collaboration in the pipeline. She’s also got her sights set on Hollywood, and there’s talk of an upcoming role on Lee Daniels’ Fox show, Star. With the world at her feet, we’re sure we can expect great things from this one.
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Text Tish Weinstock