Queen B shares her thoughts on body acceptance and leaving a legacy with Vogue

Beyonce is one of those celebrities who makes sure that we only know what she wants us to know. Though she lives her life in the spotlight, she manages to remain fiercely private which is why such intimate interviews are like gold to fans of the 36 year-old superstar.

Inside her Vogue September issue Beyonce spoke in her own words, unedited and unabashed, to Clover Hope on a range of issue including pregnancy and body acceptance, opening doors for other creatives, understanding the power of her ancestry and leaving a legacy.

Introducing Beyonce's iconic editorial, shot by 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, Vogue writes:

Do you remember a world before Beyoncé? The singer has been in our hearts and headphones for more than 20 years, from teenager to mother of three. The Queen graces Vogue's September issue this year, sharing the story of her latest pregnancy and delivery, her thoughts on body acceptance and the influence of her ancestry, and the legacy she hopes to leave her children.

Beyoncé’s fourth Vogue cover is also historic: It was shot by 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, a rising young black photographer from Atlanta, hand-selected by the star. In this month’s cover slideshow, the Houston native stuns in Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Gucci.

Read excerpts from the interview below:

On her historic Coachella performance: I had a clear vision for Coachella. I was so specific because I’d seen it, I’d heard it, and it was already written inside of me. One day I was randomly singing the black national anthem to Rumi while putting her to sleep. I started humming it to her every day. In the show at the time I was working on a version of the anthem with these dark minor chords and stomps and belts and screams.

After a few days of humming the anthem, I realized I had the melody wrong. I was singing the wrong anthem. One of the most rewarding parts of the show was making that change. I swear I felt pure joy shining down on us. I know that most of the young people on the stage and in the audience did not know the history of the black national anthem before Coachella. But they understood the feeling it gave them.

On pregnancy and body acceptance: After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look. I put pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight in three months, and scheduled a small tour to assure I would do it. Looking back, that was crazy. I was still breastfeeding when I performed the Revel shows in Atlantic City in 2012. After the twins, I approached things very differently.

I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies. That’s why I stripped away the wigs and hair extensions and used little makeup for this shoot.

To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real. Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.

On opening doors for other creatives: If people in powerful positions continue to hire and cast only people who look like them, sound like them, come from the same neighborhoods they grew up in, they will never have a greater understanding of experiences different from their own.

They will hire the same models, curate the same art, cast the same actors over and over again, and we will all lose. The beauty of social media is it’s completely democratic. Everyone has a say. Everyone’s voice counts, and everyone has a chance to paint the world from their own perspective.

On the legacy she wants to leave for her children: My Mother taught me the importance not just of being seen but of seeing myself. As the mother of two girls, it’s important to me that they see themselves too—in books, films, and on runways.

It’s important to me that they see themselves as CEOs, as bosses, and that they know they can write the script for their own lives—that they can speak their minds and they have no ceiling. They don’t have to be a certain type or fit into a specific category. They don’t have to be politically correct, as long as they’re authentic, respectful, compassionate, and empathetic. They can explore any religion, fall in love with any race, and love who they want to love.