Apr 7, 2011 18:01 GMT  ·  By

She’s considered one of the most gorgeous and stylish women in music and fashion right now, even though she started as somewhat of a tomboy. In the music issue of Elle magazine, Gwen Stefani gets a lengthy interview and profile, in which she speaks, among other things, of how important looks are to her.

At 41, Gwen has the body 20 year olds would die for, but she’s admitted in previous interviews to working hard to look this good

Now, the singer and fashion designer admits that she’s vain and loves to look good – which woman doesn’t, she asks.

“It was horrible,” she says of having to perform while pregnant. “Certain songs would make me want to puke. You feel pretty gross when you are first pregnant,” she adds.

“You don’t feel cute, you feel disgusting. You’re getting fat. It was hard. I mean, I’m very vain. That would be my middle name,” Gwen says.

“Of course I am, you know what I mean? I love the visual,” the star adds. She loves the visual so much that she doesn’t feel “energized” in the morning until she puts on her makeup, as she revealed in another Elle piece.

Speaking of good looks and how important they are for a pop star, Gwen gets a bit touchy when the interviewer asks her if she sees any connection between herself and the stars like Rihanna, Katy Perry or even Lady Gaga.

There isn’t one, Stefani says, because her music is not so much about her looks but rather about the actual music.

“I don’t see myself in those girls. I usually put pants on. I see these girls as more going for the sex-symbol thing. I was more, in the band, like a tomboy,” she says.

“Of course, I think every girl is [beautiful], so there’s going to be a little of that,” she says, adding that most young female artists tend to place more emphasis on looks than on the music they put out.