Watch Pink's powerful VMAs speech to her daughter on beauty

While accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award on Sunday night at the MTV VMAs, Pink took a moment to share a message of self-acceptance with her 6-year-old daughter, Willow, and anyone else watching the show in need of encouragement.

The singer said she was recently driving Willow to school, when Willow told her she felt like the "ugliest girl I know." When pressed, Willow said she looked like "a boy with long hair." Pink was upset, and wondered where her daughter came up with this idea. When she got home, she made a PowerPoint presentation for Willow featuring "androgynous rock stars and artists that live their truth, and are probably made fun of every day of their life, and carry on and wave their flag and inspire the rest of us."

Pink told her daughter she has short hair and has been told she's too masculine, but "do you see me growing my hair? No. Changing my body? No. Changing the way I present myself to the world? No. Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world? Yes." Instead of changing ourselves, "we take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl, and we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty," Pink said. "To all the artists here, I'm so inspired by all of you. Thank you for being your true selves, and for lighting the way for us." Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up