Speaking about her new film A Second Act, in which she plays an assistant retail manager who tactfully navigates the delicate egos of the male characters around her, Lopez explained how she often finds herself doing this in real life.

“I think as women, we have to do that all the time,” she told the magazine.

“We’re said to be the more fragile, sensitive gender, but I think the truth is that men are much more fragile and sensitive. And we have to be stronger and more conscious of not hurting fragile egos at times.”

The singer and actor went on to explain how she thinks this is something women should be cautious of, particularly those who are “strong” and “assertive”, which she says can be “off-putting to men who are not confident and secure on their own.”

But the 49-year-old hasn’t always been so sure of herself, having recently revealed in another interview that she had major issues with self-confidence in the early days of her musical career.

Appearing on the Sunday TODAY show, she told host Willie Geist how she felt critics really “went for [her]” when she released her debut album, “On the 6”, in 1999.

“There were many up and down moments,” she said, adding how her relationship with singer Marc Anthony, who she was married to for seven years before they divorced in 2011, helped her overcome some of her insecurities during that period.

“He really helped me with my confidence, and he saw where I suffered,” she said. “And I respected him so much because I consider him one of the best singers of all time.”

The Independent

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