Mickey Guyton reflects on wanting to fit within the country music industry: 'I wished I had lighter skin and blue eyes'

Mickey Guyton is getting real about self-love.

On Thursday, the 38-year-old country singer shared a photo from the early days of her career along with a photo of her now. In the more recent picture, she is visibly glowing and she used the caption to open up about her struggles with loving herself, particularly in an industry dominated by white artists.

"The girl I was then wanted so badly to be liked," she wrote. "I wanted so badly to be included and to fit in. There were times when I wished I had lighter skin and blue eyes. But the woman I am now loves everything that makes me different. The woman I am now loves my coils and my lacefronts wigs and my dark brown skin. The woman I am now doesn’t want to fit in. I want to fit out. #Different"

Celebrity friends and fans took to the comments to praise the star for her transparency.

"YES," LeAnn Rimes said.

"Damn right sis, and we’re here for it!!!!!" singer Yola added.

"There is no medicine more powerful than loving exactly who you are — it's healing to you and to the entire world!" a fan wrote.

"And this girl is beyond happy you finally embraced all which is you. That chocolate gooooddnesssss sis!" someone noted.

"Thank you for always inspiring ME!" a commenter continued.

This is not the first time Guyton has opened up about her journey as a Black artist in country music. Following the release of her single "Black Like Me," which was inspired by the murder of George Floyd, she described her early attempts to get her career off the ground "very frustrating" in an interview with WWD.

“Many times I thought, maybe this isn’t for me. I was questioning myself and my talent. I would see men just pop up like weeds and have multiple number-ones and full-on careers, and I couldn’t even get a label to record my songs,” she recalled.

She also talked about the expectations many Black and brown artists face in the music industry.

“My goal is to have a career like Carrie Underwood,” Guyton said, “and sell out arenas, write a book, have a fashion line — and open the doors for other women of color. So often artists are put in boxes: if you’re Black, you should sing R&B, if you’re Latina, you should do salsa and pop. But everyone should just be able to have their own dreams.”