Keke Palmer on Her Sexuality: “I Don’t Have to Be Stuck Down to One Label”

Society at large has taken great strides in abandoning traditional ideals in regard to gender and sexuality. As this shift toward acceptance has grown, more and more celebrities have stepped forward and asserted their sexuality and voice. And while figures like Miley Cyrus and Lily-Rose Depp have revealed that they don't identify as "straight," "gay," or "gendered," but rather somewhere else on the spectrum, Keke Palmer has chosen (as is her right) not to identify herself.

When People asked the actress and singer if her "I Don't Belong to You" music video, which concludes with a lingerie-clad Palmer taking the hand of a Calvins-wearing Cassie, is "a kind of coming-out," she replied, "The video was to represent the young woman today—it's not the traditional woman anymore—and not the specifics of 'Am I gay? Am I straight? Am I bi?' I'm making the rules for myself, and I don't have to be stuck down to one label."

This past year has seen an immense growth in our collective culture’s understanding of self-identity and the labels (and non-labels) that exist. 2016 will surely find more people opening up and sharing their true selves with the world. Hopefully, other well-known figures will speak up and share their experience, to help broaden our already-widening understanding of the self.