Missy Elliott On Hiding Shyness (In Trash Bags)

One of the hardest things to do is figure out what gives you confidence. 

The harder thing that comes next, is following through with your confidence. 

When Missy Elliott put a plastic trash bag suit on in her “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” video in 1997, it seemed like some crazy art-stuff. 

But in a 2017 Elle interview, she explained it like this:

To me, the outfit was a way to mask my shyness behind all the chaos of the look. Although I am shy, I was never afraid to be a provocative woman. The outfit was a symbol of power. I loved the idea of feeling like a hip-hop Michelin woman. 

Being shy isn’t a sign of confidence. But being provocative is a sign of being confident in your expression. So Missy put her art in front of her shyness, and made something truly discussion worthy. 

I love knowing this backstory.