Jennifer Lopez has always stood out in the crowd thanks to those outstanding curves.

And the 44-year-old star is proud that she never caved into pressure to alter herself to fit someone else’s impression of how she should be.

As Jennifer tells the Cosmopolitan For Latinas’ Winter 2013 issue, there were lots of women who looked just like her where she was growing up in the The Bronx, New York, and that was bolstering.

Sultry: Jennifer Lopez shares her pride for her voluptuous figure in the Winter 2013 Cosmopolitan For Latinas issue, as she sizzles in a purple mini-dress

‘Early on, my family really made me love who I was and what I looked like,’ Jennifer tells the magazine. ‘My body was nothing out of the ordinary in my neighborhood.’

She graces the magazine cover and inside pages in a dazzling purple mini-dress, rainbow-hued heels and a sexy hairdo.

As amazing as she looks, there were plenty of people who told her she had to look a certain way if she wanted to succeed in show business.

One of her first gigs was as a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Colour and her strong familial background, steeped in Latin culture, gave her the courage and strength to just say no.

Won’t change a thing: The 44-year-old star tells the magazine that she owes her family for helping her to embrace her figure

‘When I first started on television, people, and even my own manager at the time, would tell me I had to make all of these changes,’ Jennifer recalls.

‘But you have to stand up and say, “There’s nothing wrong with me or my shape or who I am, you’re the one with the problem!

‘And when you can really believe that, all of a sudden other people start believing too.’

Confident: The American Idol judge had no qualms putting her hourglass figure on display as she attended the Golden Globes in January

She seems to have it all now – a movie and singing career, a TV network, American Idol, and two children – and she also talks about who inspired her when she was growing up.

‘I was really moved watching West Side Story as a young girl and seeing Puerto Ricans star in it,’ Jennifer describes.

‘Even though it wasn’t the best depiction of us, they still have the passion and love that I relate to – not to mention the singing and dancing! Rita Moreno became a hero to me.’

Got it all: She has a singing and acting career, a TV network and two adorable twins, Emme and Max, pictured on June 20 with her and boyfriend Casper Smart

Even now, getting up on stage in front of a stadium full of people is enough to cause a few jitters, but Lopez has found a way to overcome that as well.

‘One day somebody told me I had to perform in front of 35,000 people on the set of Selena. I didn’t know how to do it,’ Jennifer remembers.

‘I just said to myself: Don’t think about it. You can do this and you’ll be great. I walked out onto that stage. And then I did. I’ve been following that rule ever since.’

When asked what the best thing about being a Latina is, Jennifer doesn’t hesitate.

‘I love the family that I grew up in, the strength and passion and the heart that we bring to things and then the way I was raised – the intense love we demonstrate.’

Love don’t cost a thing: Despite rumours of a break-up, Jennifer had lunch with Casper last week; the couple is pictured at a Las Vegas event on April 27Read more: Daily Mail