Mariah Carey Covers 'Paper' December 2009

Mariah Carey lends her famous face to Paper Magazine in this sexy shoot for the magazine’s December/January issue.

Here’s what the 39-year-old singer had to share:

On the media’s harsh treatment of her 2001 breakdown: “It was after September 11th. A lot of people taking shots at me had no place to go. We are friggin’ ADD, this country. There’s a huge ADD situation.”

On dressing provocatively at an early age: “I have had very low self-esteem my whole life. When I was 12 or 13, I remember walking up the driveway, and this guy who was 20 — which may have been highly inappropriate — said to me, ‘I like your pants,’ and I was like ‘Oh, that looks good? Oh, OK, I will wear tight pants now.”

On her relationship with husband Nick Cannon: “All we do is have fun together. I don’t know what his eternal age is but maybe it’s more like 16.”

For more from Mariah, pick up Paper Magazine, on newsstands today, or check out Papermag.com!