Quote Of The Day By Kelly Clarkson: 'I've Just Never Cared What People Think...'

Kelly Clarkson's enviable confidence has served her well throughout her storied career. We first got a glimpse at her dedication to being the antithesis of a wallflower on the first season of "American Idol" in 2002. During her audition, the then-20-year-old confidently swapped places with judge Randy Jackson to sit behind the judging table alongside Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell as Jackson jokingly performed for her. After winning the show, Clarkson went on to have the career most talent show contestants can only dream of. She's released hit after hit, including "Since U Been Gone," ""My Life Would Suck Without You," and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," and won three Grammys (with a further 14 nominations).

But Clarkson's powerful voice isn't her only blessing. Her addictively positive attitude came into the spotlight even more when she launched her own talk show in 2019. "The Kelly Clarkson Show," which ran for seven years, showcased "The Voice" coach's illuminating personality and down-to-earth nature. The Texas native regularly made it clear on the show that she wouldn't bow to others' expectations about how she should look. That included multiple appearances on the show's socials sans makeup, which proved Clarkson is a bare faced beauty going makeup-free. But, before, during, and after her stint as a talk show host (and a tough divorce that changed Clarkson's life), she's remained a beacon of self-confidence who has regularly spoken out about self-acceptance. That repeated and unwavering dedication to being unapologetically herself is why Kelly Clarkson is our quote of the day.

After British TV personality Katie Hopkins viciously and publicly called out Kelly Clarkson over her weight in 2015, the singer turned talk show host had an empowering reaction. "I've just never cared what people think. It's more if I'm happy and I'm confident and feeling good. That's always been my thing. And more so now, since having a family — I don't seek out any other acceptance," she told Heat World. 

In a world that seems so hyper-focused on appearances and on outside validation, Clarkson's words are truly ones to live by. Instead of letting naysayers get her down, particularly about her weight, she made an intentional choice to still walk boldly in who she is. Her confidence in herself in the face of such public criticism cemented how no one can bring her down because her love for herself runs so deep.

Kelly Clarkson's candid shutdown of a body shamer underscored that true acceptance can only come from one person: yourself. She made it clear she loved herself regardless of anyone else's opinions. Her retort came after she welcomed her two children (the star shares a daughter, River, and a son, Remington, with her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock), and showed her family was her priority, not the opinion of someone who has no impact on her life. Clarkson's confident quote — which focused on how she felt about herself rather than being negative about a hater — is a lesson for all of us to block out the naysayers in our lives and focus on making ourselves happy, whatever that may look like.

Clarkson's stand against criticism of her weight was particularly poignant considering she told Seventeen she'd experienced bulimia in the seventh grade. Clarkson's words also held weight because she's repeatedly faced public jibes about her appearance for refusing to fit in with Hollywood's beauty standards. But, in addition to skipping makeup on TV, she's remained unapologetic about her body. That includes Clarkson getting candid about her weight loss journey and speaking with fellow singer Bebe Rexha on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" about not being a sample size. 

• "I try not to compliment our boys or our girls so much on aesthetics ... I'm really adamant about everyone around us always saying like 'God, you're clever. You're smart. You're witty, you're funny ... all the other things that make character.'"

• "I think honestly at some point, you just go, 'Well, screw it.' Like, I'm going to live my life over here, and you can live yours over there, and we'll be fine.' ... I think we give people that power to make us feel demeaned or powerless."

• "If you gauge your life on what other people think, you're going to be in a constant state of panic trying to please everyone."

• "My happy weight changes.... Sometimes I eat more; sometimes I play more. I'll be different sizes all the time. When people talk about my weight, I'm like, 'You seem to have a problem with it; I don't. I'm fine!' I've never felt uncomfortable on the red carpet or anything."

• "Anyway, who cares what they say about you? They'll not even remember you in five minutes."