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Jennifer Lopez is telling her own #MeToo story.
The singer, 48, shared her experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood, recalling an uncomfortable encounter with a director in her early years of acting.
“I haven’t been abused in the way some women have. But have I been told by a director to take off my shirt and show my boobs? Yes, I have. But did I do it? No, I did not,” Lopez told Harper’s BAZAAR for its April issue.
“When I did speak up, I was terrified. I remember my heart beating out of my chest, thinking, ‘What did I do? This man is hiring me!’ It was one of my first movies,” said the mother of two.
Lopez made her acting debut at age 16 with a small role in 1986’s My Little Girl before landing starring roles in films such as Money Train (1995) and Selena (1997).
She added, “But in my mind, I knew the behaviour wasn’t right. It could have gone either way for me. But I think ultimately the Bronx in me was like, ‘Nah, we’re not having it.’”
The Shades of Blue star’s comments come in the wake of women speaking out in light of the sexual misconduct allegations against disgraced men in Hollywood, including Harvey Weinstein. Powerful men across industries have found themselves at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations following the Weinstein scandal in October 2017.
Lopez, who wore black during her visit to Puerto Rico last month in support of the #MeToo movement, has previously addressed the current wave of female empowerment in the business in relation to the impact it has on her 10-year-old twins Max and Emme.
To donate to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which will provide subsidized legal support to women and men in all industries who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace, visit its GoFundMe page. Learn more about Time’s Up, an organization of women in entertainment combating sexual harassment and inequality, on its website.
“It’s a groundbreaking thing that’s going on in the world right now. Of course, I always support women speaking up. I’m super-excited about the time we are living in right now — especially for my daughter,” she told Billboard in February.
Calling it “a beautiful time for women,” Lopez emphasized the importance of speaking out and voicing support for women. “We are really finding our voices. We are really coming out of the shadows and saying how we feel. [It’s about] knowing our worth and our value and making the opposite sex aware of our worth and our value,” she said.
A spokesperson for Weinstein previously told PEOPLE in a statement that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE
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