Beyonce's January cover of Elle magazine reveals some "Whaaaat?" stories about her past, including a lovely gem courtesy of her mother, Tina Knowles.

You see, B was acting "like a diva" during a promotional appearance, so Tina openly admitted to slapping her daughter across the face: "My husband came up and said, 'Tina! She's got the No. 1 record on the radio!' I said, 'I don’t care!' I taught my girls to pick up their own suitcase. Pretty is as pretty does. Like my mother said, 'You got to be cute on the inside.'"

This entire story makes us uncomfortable, and it's probably not something one ought to share in a national publication, but that's just us.

(And, by the way, we plan on getting "You got to be cute on the inside" crocheted on a pillow.)

Kelly Rowland has gone on record to say that she's just learning black is beautiful, and that, prior to now, she always wanted to have lighter skin. This from Page Six:

"It's said that brown-skinned girls don't sell magazines and that's so sad," the sexy songbird tells next month's Essence. "I remember wishing I was more fair-skinned, but Tina Knowles, Beyoncé's mom, would say, 'Don't you know how beautiful you are?' She made me come into my brown beauty. I didn't get it, but now I do. I am chocolate and beautiful and loving it."

I suppose this new found sense of self extends as far as that feathered hairdo, on which Rowland spent a lot of time and money in order to make it look white.

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