Boy George has confessed he was beaten up in the early 80s because of his androgynous style.
The Culture Club singer - who is openly gay - says he was attacked in public by people who disagreed with his choice of lifestyle and his penchant for experimenting with gender stereotypes when it came to make-up and clothes.
Recalling the early New Romantic movement, he told MOJO Magazine: "Sometimes I got kicked and punched. I remember once on a bus on London Bridge, this Teddy Boy kicked me in the face. I was bleeding everywhere and nobody did anything, 'cos it was like, 'punk'. People weren't very sympathetic. But I also think when you're that young, you don't give a sh*t. You sort of feel like you have this right to be who you are."
George - who was in Malcolm McLaren's band Bow Wow Wow but was fired and then joined Culture Club - admits his 20s and the start of his pop career were the some of the happiest years of his life.
However, the 52-year-old musician admits his lifestyle did freak his family out at first.
He said: "I was having the time of my life. Really all I cared about was getting off with boys and dressing up and having my photograph taken ... My mum and dad, when I started dressing up, it really freaked them out. But then once I'd started doing it, they really weren't bothered and they just let me do it. To be honest I was just making it up as I went along. When I look back now I don't know how I crossed the road let alone had a career."

DreamWorks has hinted there will be another 'Shrek' movie.
The company's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, says the story of the Shrek - a fictional ogre character created by American author, William Steig - still has "another chapter" left to tell and insists they are "not finished" with the animated adventure.
Talking to Fox Business Network in an interview scheduled to air Tuesday (25.02.14), he said: "We like to let them have a little bit of time to rest.
"But I think you can be confident that we'll have another chapter in the Shrek series. We're not finished, and more importantly, neither is he."
'Shrek Forever After', released in 2010, has an all star cast including Mike Myers as male lead, and A-Listers Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz.
Despite receiving mixed reviews it grossed a worldwide total of over $752 million making it a commercial success and was believed to be the final installment in the Shrek series.
The films follow the character of Shrek as he develops a romance with Princess Fiona.

Eddie Izzard has joined the cast of 'Boychoir'. The 52-year-old actor will play a teacher and star alongside Debra Winger, Josh Lucas and Kevin McHale in director Francois Girard's forthcoming drama. It tells the story of a 12-year-old student, Stet,...

Sam Smith melted hearts during a sold-out show at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire last night (24.02.14).
The 21-year-old singer, whose debut single 'Money On Mind' went straight to the top of the UK Single's Chart last week, took to the stage for the second date of his major European tour.
The star told the crowd: "I can't believe I'm doing this, it's ridiculous, this is my dream venue to play" and said the performance took his career to "another level."
Playing a set full of hit collaborations and material from his debut album, 'The Lonely Hour', he looked comfortable on stage, wearing his trademark long black coat, crucifix earring and white shoes.
His live band kicked things off with R 'n' B grooves, as gospel backing singers matched his note-perfect vocals and he sang 'Leave Your Lover' and 'I'm Not The Only One'.
Sam, who won this year's BRITs Critics' Choice award, talked about his EP 'Nirvana', before telling fans sat above the stage that he'd left them chocolates because they had to sit in "sh*t seats".
His vocal ability live is incredible and the show wasn't predictably full of ballads, as he told fans to get on their feet and dance to some of his new tracks.
Although he did talk about the lonely theme of his new album, out in May, and said: "Things are gonna get really depressing now", as he explained his album was about never having been in a relationship.
He then blew the audience away with his version of the Arctic Monkeys' 'Do I Wanna Know?', before singing 'Latch', 'Money On My Mind' and the upbeat 'La La La', before his stand-out ballad 'Lay Me Down' for the encore.
Sam then announced his new single, 'Stay With Me', as he closed the show. It's bound to be another big hit.

'Bad Education' is set to end after three series.
The BBC Three sitcom starring and written by Jack Whitehall will come to an end after one more series, the 25-year-old comic has confirmed.
Jack told Time Out magazine: "I'll be doing one more British series of 'Bad Education' but then that will be the end of it.
"[It's] my decision. Never say never, but I think three series is probably enough."
'Bad Education' has aired two series and a Christmas special on BBC Three and Jack - who also stars on Channel 4's 'Fresh Meat' - is currently writing the third series.
The comedian recently filmed a pilot episode for a US remake of 'Bad Education', which he described as "fun" and "weird".
He previously said: "I filmed a pilot in America and now some other people will decide whether they want more. It was fun, it was different ... it's always weird doing things in America and adjusting to it."
The final series of 'Bad Education' will be filmed this summer and air on BBC Three later this year.
Jack said: "I'm writing some more as we speak, we're going to be filming in the summer."

Kanye West wishes his mother could have met his daughter.
The 36-year-old rapper admits his "biggest regret" in life is not being able to introduce eight month old North - whom he has with fiancée Kim Kardashian - to his late mum Donda, who died in 2007 aged 58.
During a heart-felt speech at his concert in Connecticut on Friday night (21.02.14), he said: "These past 10years have been amazing.
"There's been some ups and downs. I made some mistakes and I've made some accomplishments. There's only one thing I regret.
"There's only one thing I wish I could change out of everything that's ever happened. I wish that my mother could've met my daughter."
Kanye lost his mother due to surgery complications after a breast reduction and undergoing liposuction seven years ago, and he opened up about the effects her passing has had on him last year during an appearance on Kim's mum Kris Jenner's chat show.
He said: "'There were times [after my mum's death], I would put my life at risk. I didn't have something to live for. Now I have two very special people to live for, a whole family to live for, a whole world to live for."

Kaley Cuoco thinks her romance with Ryan Sweeting sounds "sl*tty".
'The Big Bang Theory' actress married the 26-year-old tennis player on New Year's Eve (31.12.13) just six months after meeting him and, although she knows it was a whirlwind relationship, she insists they knew they were right for each other say soon as they met.
Speaking on the 'Late Show With David Letterman', she said: "We met on a blind date. We texted a little bit, dinner was great, and then he moved in the next day. It sounds so sl*tty, but it wasn't.
"It all did move quite fast on paper, but we really did know. I'm totally married. I know you're all thinking, 'She's nuts!' I swear I'm not nuts! We were throwing a New Year's Eve party anyway, and I was like, 'Let's throw a ceremony in the party and not tell anybody.'"
The 28-year-old actress also admitted she and her beau haven't been on a romantic honeymoon yet, but they did celebrate their nuptials by taking a trip to Disneyland in Florida.
She explained: "We actually went to Disneyland. He had never been before, and it's like my favourite place in the world."
However, the newly-weds will need to put their "big" honeymoon plans on hold for the time being as they are preparing to move into their new home in a few weeks.

Robin Thicke flew to Canada for crisis talks with Paula Patton last week.
The 'Blurred Lines' hitmaker - who announced yesterday (24.02.14) he and the actress were separating after almost nine years of marriage - cited throat problems when he axed a planned concert in Atlanta on Friday (21.02.14), but insiders say he jetted off to Vancouver after Paula told him she wanted to end their union.
According to gossip website TMZ, the couple - who have three-year-old son Julian together - had a long conversation in which they acknowledged they hadn't been getting along and had argued a lot.
Robin, 36, then "reluctantly" agreed to end his marriage to the 38-year-old actress, but was described as being "very upset".
And despite making the decision on Friday, the pair were seen enjoying a day out at Disneyland in California with their son on Sunday (23.02.14).
The couple said in a statement announcing their split they will always "be best friends," but "mutually decided to separate at this time" and insiders weren't surprised by the news.
A source said: "It has been a long time coming. It is not a shock to Robin or Paula, and it is something they have discussed for a long time."
Another insider said: "Their marriage was unravelling for a long time."

David Arquette doesn't know if he'll marry again.
The 42-year-old actor is "madly in love" with partner Christina McLarty - who is pregnant with his second child - but is hesitant to walk down the aisle because his divorce from Courteney Cox in 2012, almost two years after they separated, left him heartbroken.
He said: "The divorce, that broke my heart a lot, you know, and changed my approach to it all too."
Asked on 'Piers Morgan Live' if he will marry again, he added: "I don't know. It has definitely changed that, you know, that experience changed it for me, but you know, I'm madly in love with my new girlfriend and she is a wonderful person and dear friend and we have a kid on the way, so I don't know."
David, who married Courteney in June 2009, also claims his divorce from the 'Cougar Town' actress - with who he has nine-year-old daughter Coco - made him more mature in his relationships.
He said: "I was really dramatic and really like over the top when I was younger. But not now, not now. I'm a little more grown up as far as relationships go. I don't - it doesn't seem like everything is the end of the world, you know. When I was younger, I'd get pretty dramatic."

Katie Holmes looked chic in a leather trench coat and black fedora after enjoying lunch at the Tribeca Grill in New York City.

Kate Moss looked tired in a black tuxedo jacket as she left London's Dorchester Hotel. The supermodel exited the luxury establishment with Topshop heiress Chloe Green in the early hours of the morning.

Harry Styles kept his curls at bay in a quirky bandanna as he hit the shops on Melrose Avenue in LA.