Before all her hit songs, Hilson worked behind the scenes as a successful songwriter. Stepping out of the background was not as effortless as Hilson, 28, now makes it look. "The transition to being in front of the camera was very, very difficult," she says. "Everyone has their idea of what you should look like. 'You need to get into the gym.' 'You need to wear less clothes.' 'Wear dresses and skirts.' 'Put a weave in.' 'Cut your hair.' 'Color your hair.' There are so many ways that others tug at you." To Hilson, posing naked stripped her back down to her real self. "We do a lot of things to seek validation: I have to get more expensive handbags or fake lashes or fake boobs. This shoot was about dropping all that."