The beginning of the film mainly revolves around Whitney's relationship with her mother, Cissy. Whitney was a quiet child who was bullied and teased at school so much, that a few times she was actually chased home. Cissy was always ready to defend her child, and that mentality also applied to her career. Before Whitney became a pop star, her mother made sure music execs knew she would be finishing high school first and wouldn't be cutting any records until Cissy felt she was ready.
A clip from the documentary shows a frustrated Whitney and her mother taking shots at various artists, with Robyn Crawford laughing in the background. "I'm pissed off – these people think it's so damn easy," Whitney vents. She laments how people seem to be just going for whatever is new on the radio and nothing has substance. She mentions Paula Abdul in particular, claiming the singer is, "singing off-key on the record!" She goes on to declare, "She's got an image that we all know ain't even really true."
Though Cissy throws shade at various artists, she also takes Whitney into her arms like she must have when she was a child and consoles her, saying those artists are just making "fad music," while Whitney is preparing for "legacy music."