Raven Symone News 2016: Child Star Discusses Pressures Of Growing Up & Her Sexuality [VIDEO]
Raven Symone got candid on her sexuality and the difficulties of growing up in the public eye.
As a child star who got famous at three-years-old, the celebrity dished in an Entertainment Tonight video on how she's grown accustomed to being in front of the camera. She also pointed out how there was so much pressure as a child being in this business because she couldn't ever be herself.
"My likeness, whether you see it in an interview, whether you see it on print, however you see it, at that time, had 15 people dictating what I should or should not look like," Symone said. "If I did whatever I want, I'm not gonna sell because it doesn't go with the brand. I was branded at such a young age and then you wonder why all these child stars had these issues. You were not allowing them to grow up as human beings."
Things got even more challenging as she got older because not only did she have to deal with filming, but there was still going to class, keeping up with school and making time for red carpet events. With all of that on her plate, she also had to keep her attitude together.
"There's a little bit of a disconnect for me in that area," Symone said.
The 30-year-old then spoke up on her sexuality and how she realized she was into girls at 12-years-old. She even had some experiences growing up, but only to a certain extent because at that time, it was a subject that couldn't really be talked about. And whenever a celebrity would come out of the closet, it was perceived in a negative manner, which made Symone more uncomfortable to discuss it.
"I never thought I would ever come out because my personal life didn't matter, it was always what was supposed to be sold as the 'Raven Symone brand,'" she said.
But she added that she became more comfortable with it later because she fell in love, plus she wasn't part of the entertainment industry anymore. She also went to college where she received support from other people and eventually told her parents.
See what else Symone said in the video below.
