The 'Left of the Middle' singer explains her androgyny look in the music video for her claim-fame single was meant to hide her curves because she had body dysmorphia.
- Oct 11, 2022
AceShowbiz - Natalie Imbruglia suffered from body dysmorphia and insecurities when she shot her "Torn" music video. Despite helping usher in a new style era with the hoodie and baggy army pants she wore for the 1997 promo, the 47-year-old singer-and-actress admitted she wasn't trying to set a trend as she opted for the baggy clothing because she was so uncomfortable with the idea of people looking at her body.
"The army pants weren't even cool army pants - they weren't in fashion or anything," she said. "My intention in wearing that was so that you couldn't see my silhouette, because I didn't want anyone to see. But it ended up that there was a power in that because it was like [seen as] androgyny cool. But it really came from a place of 'thank god I don't have to wear a dress!' "
The former "Neighbours" actress admitted she was "really insecure" as a songwriter when she worked on her debut album, "Left of the Middle", because she was worried about her "cheesy" background as a "stage-school kid" amid fears of being forced to leave the UK and return to Australia.
She told Independent.co.uk, "I couldn't get a work permit and I couldn't get jobs. When I signed my record deal, my UK visa was about to run out and I owed two grand to my landlord..."
"I had grown up as a stage-school kid - I was a trained performer. But in some ways, that felt a little bit cheesy compared to what I was trying to do [as an artist]. So I couldn't kind of marry those things in my head. And you know, I was in debt and I'd been famous for being on this TV show."
