Women in Music: Fergie


ELLE: How do you think your image changed after you joined?

F: It's funny, when I first joined the Peas I didn't ever want to wear a skirt. I was in a kind of hard-edge point in my life, rough around the edges, collecting unemployment and living at my mom's. I wasn't in a girly mood at all. But finally, when "Hey Mama" came around, the guys persuaded me to wear a skirt, and then once I did, it was kind of fun and flirty, and I started exploring that part of my personality again.

ELLE: You've had big hits with songs like "My Humps" and "Fergalicious," but you've been quoted basically saying that audiences should take all the "I'm so hot" lyrics with a grain of salt.

F: Oh yeah, it's very campy. Part of that goes back to the origin of rap music and hip-hop culture—a lot of rap is based on talking about your good qualities and bragging. And with some of my favorites—like Roxanne Shanté and Salt-n-Pepa and J.J. Fad—it was the same type of thing. I don't really think all that of myself all the time.

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