Most of us are our own worst critics. We hone in on our flaws, and self-flagellate when we don’t meet impossible standards. Any woman can fall into this trap – even celebrities who, from where we’re standing, look like they’re killing it. Even, it turns out, Jennifer Lopez.

Speaking at Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life In Focus tour, the Hustlers actor opened up about how she really felt about not getting nominated for an Oscar this year.

“I was a little sad because there a lot of buildup to it,” Lopez explained. “There were so many articles. I got so many good notices – more than ever in my career – and there was a lot of ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar. It’s going to happen; if she doesn’t, you’re crazy’.”

She continued, “I’m reading all the articles going, ‘Oh my god, could this happen?’ And then it didn’t and I was like, ‘Ouch’. It was a little bit of a letdown.”

However, it wasn’t herself that she was worried about disappointing. The actor explained to Oprah that she felt like that she had let down her close friends and peers by not being nominated.

“Most of my team has been with me for years – 20, 25 years – and I think they had a lot of hopes on that and they wanted it, too. So I felt like I let everyone down a little bit.”

Despite her Oscars snub, Lopez’s performance as Ramona in Hustlers still earned her a slew of award nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Indie Spirit Awards. 

However, Lopez explained that she had ultimately realised she didn’t need to be nominated for any award. “You realise you want people’s validation. You want people to say you did a good job, and I realised, ‘No, you don’t need that. You do this because you love it,” she said. “I don’t need this award to tell me I’m enough.”

Obviously, Lopez is enough. More than enough, if you ask us. However, her candid discussion with Oprah touches on something bigger than that. This is further proof that all women fall victim to feelings of self-criticism. Even a woman who can climb a stripper pole in six-inch heels to critical-acclaim. But Lopez is right: we are all enough with or without validation, Oscar nomination or not.

Image: Getty