Melissa McCarthy "got bored" trying to fit in in high school, even though it led to her being "judged" by others.
Melissa McCartney shares how she learned to be comfortable in her own skin
The 52-year-old actress explained that she refused to keep up with trends in high school and loved to play dress-up but was left mystified when those around her started to be "mean" because they knew nothing about her.
She told this week's edition of PEOPLE: "I loved sports, I loved dressing up. I just was kind of super high-energy. We grew up on a farm so I think it gives you a really different perspective, because I went to school in town, all my friends were like, 'Yeah, we ride bikes, we all hang out afterwards.'
"And I'm like, 'Well, it's just kind of me in a barn. I feel like the first two years were like, 'We're all going to dress alike.' Nobody wants to stand out too much. And then I was like, 'I think I'm bored. And then came the Mohawks and the blue hair.
I mean, on the outside, I was a really good punk and gothic kid, but then I was terrible because I was really chatty.
"So I looked like I was going to maybe get into a fist fight. And then I was like, 'Hi! What's your name?
"I was fascinated because when I walked down the street and I looked like that, it was the first time that I'd ever had people kind of make fun of me or say really mean things to me, even adults. I just kept thinking, 'You don't know me; I didn't do anything to you.'
"It was a real big eye-opener that people are just judging left and right."
Despite the critcism, the 'Tammy' star refused to "go back into her shell" and these days credits her husband Ben Falcon - with whom she has Vivian, 15, and 13-year-old Georgette - 'for allowing her to feel comfortable as herself.
She added: "Luckily, instead of going back into my shell, I think that made me want to seek out people [expressing themselves] more. Because I was like, that's so much more fun!
"Ben is so constantly loving and kind. And funny and the weirdest human I know, to be honest. And somewhere in my 30s, I was like 'I'm okay with who I am.' And if someone wasn't thrilled with that, that's okay too. At some point I was like, 'They're not all going to like you.' You have to learn that the hard way, but it's a good [lesson]."