Having a positive self esteem is an ongoing process for many. If you think that actors and musicians with millions of fans don’t struggle with it too, think again. Actress Keke Palmer opened up that she struggled with loving her darker skin and “prayed for lighter skin” as a young child. Her admission was revealed during the Hollywood Confidential panel. Luckily, she realized when she was 13 that she was beautiful just the way she was. The takeaway: Love yourself no matter what.
“I always try to set a positive example for my generation and promote confidence,” says Palmer. “It’s about starting the conversation of, ‘how do you feel about yourself? What are ways to make you feel better?’ I’m aiming to help girls deal with insecure feelings and teach them ways to feel better about themselves.”
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Even though Keke may be only 20 years old, she had to have tough skin that started way before she entered Hollywood.”I was bullied a lot as a kid in school from kindergarten up to third grade,” Palmer confessed. “I know what it feels like to be left out and to want to be different—more so, to want to not be different and want to just fit in. As a teenager, you second-guess yourself. On top of that, being in movies and on television can make me even more self-conscious because so many people are looking at me, and I don’t know what they’re thinking. People can be overly critical.”
All in all, Keke has made her transition from child start to young adult star. She recently received the green light to be the host of her own talk show, becoming the youngest talk show host ever. Her message: “If you focus more on the inside, you’ll feel just as great about the outside. I feel attractive when I’m doing good and helping people.”
