Singer Post Malone called himself an “ugly-ass motherf**ker” in an interview with GQ published Monday and suggested he got his facial ink to help his self-esteem.
“It does maybe come from a place of insecurity, to where I don’t like how I look, so I’m going to put something cool on there so I can look at myself and say, ‘You look cool, kid,’ and have a modicum of self-confidence when it comes to my appearance,” he told GQ.
Malone recently got a tattoo on his cheek of a circular saw with blood dripping off it to add to a collection that includes “Always” and “Tired” under his eyes.
Malone previously told Spin that he got the tats to tick off his mother.
“I got a face for radio anyways, so why not?” he said.
In the GQ article, Malone also addressed the sadness that has plagued him for much of his life.
“Middle school, I would cry myself to sleep every fuckin’ day,” he said. “High school, the same thing. I tried to drink some beers to get rid of that shit, but it just never goes away. And I don’t think that’s anybody’s fault; it has to do with something predisposed in you.”
Malone is far from alone in his experience. An estimated 1 in 5 people will be affected by some kind of mental health issue in a given year, which includes body image issues, anxiety and more. Experts say celebrities who open up about their mental health, as Malone has, help comfort fans who might look up to or relate to them.
As the self-effacing star told GQ: “I’m not, by far, the most inspirational dude. But if I can do it, you can do it fuckin’ too.”