Keke Palmer Reveals How Motherhood Has Transformed Her Life And Career
Actress and singer Keke Palmer has been gracing our television and movie screens with countless projects since the tender age of nine.
Many of Palmer's notable works aside from music and hosting include Barbershop 2: Back in Business, Akeelah and the Bee, Madea's Family Reunion, True Jackson, VP, Scream Queens, Hustlers, Nope, and a reboot of The Proud Family series titled The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. In addition to the professional success the 29-year-old has obtained in the entertainment industry, Palmer recently become a mother. The star welcomed a son, Leodis Jackson, with longtime partner Darius Jackson in February of this year.
Since Leodis' birth, Palmer has been vocal about her experience as a first-time mom and the various hardships that come along with it, including trying to balance a career. Alongside working on films and shows, Palmer created a digital television network KeyTV.
On March 28, during an interview with Elle Magazine, Palmer talked about how motherhood could affect her overall craft as an entertainer.
Keke Palmer On If She Would Include Her Son On Future Projects
In the discussion, Palmer recounted the different trajectories she has taken in her career and shared that the most personal route has been becoming a social media influencer because fans get a deeper look into her life.
"There are different ways in which I exist," she said. "I exist as a traditional entertainer, where it's movies. I exist as a host, which involves more of a personal flair to it and invites a little bit more of my personal life into it. When there's also the influencer aspect where you get a little more of a glimpse at my life."
Expanding on that topic, the "I Don't Belong to You" vocalist then disclosed that she is unsure if she would include her son Leodis in any of her content. Although Palmer didn't provide a particular reason surrounding her uncertainty, the new mom stated,
"I don't know how my baby will fit into that or if that's something that I'll even want. I don't know if motherhood will be part of that narrative or not."
Toward the end of her statement, Palmer revealed that because she may be unsure about involving the newborn in future projects now doesn't necessarily mean that she's ruled out any possibilities of what fate brings her.
"Only time will tell, but I'm definitely interested to see. I'm also the type of person that wants to share whatever changes and impacts me. I might be like, 'I have something to say, so here's a book.' I don't know. Or motherhood might be off limits, Beyoncé style. I don't think I'll know until I know," she explained while briefly mentioning Beyoncé's parenting style.
Palmer On Being a Mother and Praising Single Parents
This isn't the first time Palmer has talked about Leodis and the impact he has had on her life.
Earlier this month, the Alice actress shared that she has experienced a newfound appreciation for single parents since becoming a mother to Leodis, who was a few days old at the time, by posting an emotional Instagram video.
"I just came on here to say, if you're a single parent, pull out your cape. Matter of fact, clip off your angel wings because I don't know how you guys did it." Palmer said. "And I really don't want this to sound like pandering, or something like this, because I know there's a million and one reasons why somebody wants to be a single parent or has become a single parent."
Also, in the clip, Palmer went on to list various reasons why an individual became a single parent, ranging from a spouse's death to the person choosing to be alone. Palmer ended the video by explaining that she is "impressed" by her friends and family that are single parents because she realized that after having Leodis that it takes a "village" to raise a child and that many don't have the privilege.
"But when it comes to raising a kid, I've already learned in these short few days that it takes a village. And sometimes, that's a privilege. And I just want anybody out there that's a single parent that's been doing this, friends of mine, people that I don't know, family members of mine, I'm really in my heart, it brings tears to my eyes. I am just truly, profoundly impressed," Palmer shared as she teared up.
Since that post, Palmer has appeared to be tackling motherhood and her career just fine. The star updated her fans in another upload and expressed that her son has given her "a greater purpose" and how excited she is for what's to come.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images
