Beyonce Gets Real About the Pressure to Be Perfect

"The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself," she tells Elle U.K.

Beyonce didn't always wake up feeling "***Flawless."

In fact, as the 34-year-old singer reveals in a rare interview with Elle U.K., it took a great deal of time and introspection before she learned how to embrace her flaws. Since coming to that realization, she's made it her mission to empower young women to be their best selves.

"It's really about changing the conversation. It's not about perfection. It's about purpose," Beyonce says. "We have to care about our bodies and what we put in them. Women have to take the time to focus on our mental health – take time for self, for the spiritual, without feeling guilty or selfish. The world will see you the way you see you, and treat you the way you treat yourself."

Beyonce used that idea as a springboard for designing Ivy Park, her 200-piece active wear collection. "It's really the essence: to celebrate every woman and the body she's in while always striving to be better. I called it Ivy Park because a park is our commonality," the "Formation" singer says. "We can all go there; we're all welcomed. It's anywhere we create for ourselves."

"For me, it's the place that my drive comes from," Beyonce continues. "I think we all have that place we go to when we need to fight through something, set our goals and accomplish them."

Beyonce has an estimated net worth of $250 million, and she shows no signs of slowing down. As she continues to expand her brand, the self-made star will continue to take chances and run her businesses on her own terms. "It's exciting, but having the power to make every final decision and being accountable for them is definitely a burden and a blessing. To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission," Beyonce says. "It's affecting the way people perceive themselves and the world around them. It's making people stand up with pride."

The full interview appears in the May issue of ELLE U.K., on sale Apr. 5.

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