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.