Jennifer Lopez says she got 'a lot of flak' about her curves

May 15 (UPI) -- Jennifer Lopez says she got "a lot of flak" about her curvy figure during her early career.

The 48-year-old singer and actress recalled in an interview with InStyle published Monday how she rejected pressure from the entertainment industry to lose weight.

"I got a lot of flak for it from people in the industry. They'd say, 'You should lose a few pounds,' or 'You should do this or do that,'" Lopez said. "It finally got to the point that I was like, 'This is who I am. I'm shaped like this.'"

"Everybody I grew up with looked like that, and they were all beautiful to me," she explained. "I didn't see anything wrong with it. I still don't!"

The "Booty" singer said her mom and grandmother always encouraged her to embrace her body.

"Being curvy or not being 6 feet tall was never a bad thing; it was actually something that was celebrated. And so, later on, when I brought that in front of the world, I wasn't really trying to send a message," she said. "I was just being myself."

Lopez credited her mom, Guadalupe Rodriguez, with shaping who she is in an Instagram post Sunday on Mother's Day.

"Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful Mommy...You light up every room you are in... with your energy and joy... you make me laugh in a way no one else can and I am so grateful you are my mother," the star wrote.

"You are so much a part of all I am," she added. "You made me believe I could do anything and I wouldn't be the woman I am today of it weren't for you. I love you with all my heart."