London, Jan 24 (IANS) Singer-actress Mariah Carey thinks playing a dowdy social worker in her new movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' has boosted her self-confidence because she no longer worries how she looks.

The 40-year-old shed her glamorous image for her role and says having to spend hours in front of a camera with heavy lighting and no make-up has made her feel more comfortable with staying natural at home, reports fametastic.co.uk.

'I think it was crucial to dress down. It was tough because making music videos is so different with the costumes, the angles, the lighting, stuff like that. In 'Precious', we sat in a fluorescent dentist's office and it was the worst-lit scene of the movie. The over-lighting emphasises the dark stuff under your eyes,' she said.

'I guess now I'll feel better about myself when I'm dressed normally at my house and walk past a mirror and see myself. I'll be like, well I've looked worse,' she added.

Carey says she identified with the story of the movie which follows a sexually abused, overweight teenager.

'The first relationship I was in, without realising it at the time, was abusive emotionally. That is in the past, but that helped me get to a place where I could grow and use that stuff in my work,' she said.