Karrine Steffans Says She’s Now ‘Writing What’s Real’ But Still ‘Keeping Secrets’

Karrine Steffans—who also writes under her given name, Elisabeth Ovesen—is back at the keyboard, but with a very different approach than the one that made her a household name nearly 20 years ago.

The former video vixen turned New York Times bestselling author shared a new essay on October 8 titled “Learn to Write Without Bleeding,” where she reflected on her evolution as a writer, a woman, and a survivor.

“It feels strange to be back here, writing again. Not because I forgot how — but because I’ve had to relearn why,” she wrote.

Steffans admitted that when Confessions of a Video Vixen dropped in 2005, her raw confessions cut through a culture that wasn’t used to hearing women speak so openly about exploitation in hip-hop. But in 2025, she sees the landscape differently. “Everyone’s confessing now. Everyone’s telling everything, and as the noise grows louder, I feel an instinctive pull to whisper,” she wrote.

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That shift is at the heart of her return. She explains that writing no longer feels like a race to reveal the most shocking detail, but an exercise in clarity. “Honesty doesn’t require exposure. It requires clarity,” Steffans wrote.

Instead of sharing pain in real time, she now waits until she’s processed it: “Sometimes, it’s okay to just write what you know instead of everything you feel. It’s okay to write after the wound has closed, instead of while it’s still bleeding.”

This more measured tone comes at a pivotal time in her career. Earlier this year, HarperCollins reissued Confessions of a Video Vixen for its 20th anniversary, sparking renewed conversation about its legacy. The book, infamous for its unflinching look at misogyny and power dynamics in the music industry, cemented Steffans as both a lightning rod and a trailblazer.

In a recent interview with ESSENCE, she admitted that the backlash took a toll. “The way the public has treated me, the way the press has treated me, and the way that everyone has talked about me… have ruined a lot of my relationships,” she said. “There’s been this cloud over me for 20 years.”

Still, Steffans insists she has grown stronger. Living quietly outside Hollywood, she says she now values privacy, therapy, and the art of selective storytelling. “Curating your words isn’t hiding; it’s honoring the parts of your life that deserve to stay yours,” she wrote in her new essay.