One thing about Keke Palmer is sis is going to say a word.
Whether she's addressing self-worth, her noteworthy career moves, or standing in her power as the Keke "Keep a Job" Palmer that we know her to be, Keke has a way of speaking life into any room she enters and into any person in ear-shot of her words of wisdom. As the years go by, the multi-hyphenate continues to prove there's no limit to her ability to level up.
From launching her own digital network, KeyTV to producing and starring in films (the recently-released One of Them Days is yet another win for the star), and of course, gifting us with a meme every now and again, the 31-year-old no doubt provides the entertainment, but she also has the uncanny ability to leave us feeling empowered.
Here, we take a moment to celebrate the wealth of gems Keke has graced us with by being her most authentic self at all times. Keep reading for 10 of Keke's most inspirational quotes that are bound to leave you motivated AF.
Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesKeke Palmer On Unshakeable Self-Belief: "If you ain't riding for you, then why am I getting in the passenger seat?"
Keke's self-belief is unmatched and in relaying the quote that follows, it's clear that she wants us all to have a piece of that by standing ten toes down in our own power. During a guest appearance at the Sherri show in February 2025, she dropped the following that I'd argue should be a part of your morning mantra if it isn't already:
"They may not ever see you, but you see you. The moment that you say you're that girl, you're that guy, you're that person to yourself. If somebody is going to follow, that's when they will. People can't do what you're not doing. If you ain't riding for you, then why am I getting in the passenger seat? You know what I'm saying? When you look in the mirror at yourself, what do you say to yourself? Girl, you are who you think you are!"
Keke On Embracing a New Perspective: "Everything feels kind of possible in terms of the skills that I’ve learned up until this point that allow me to move forward. I can do it with the right mindset, with the right practices. Nothing is the end of the world."
Keke’s confidence and self-assurance stem from trust, patience, and the deep understanding that she no longer has anything to prove. She spent her 20s laying the groundwork for the sense of ease she now moves with in her 30s, something she credits to the investment she’s made in herself.
She shared this perspective and other gems in her 2024 digital cover story with SELF, adding, "I have a greater sense of perspective. There’s also a level of contentment—I don’t have to prove anything to anybody."
On Authenticity & Perception: "You only can be yourself authentically in the way in which you are perceived. And if you’re trying your best to be perceived accurately, there might be different ways that you have to perform for people to resonate with it."
Keke understands that a major key to authenticity is not side-stepping the importance of perception. In a world that constantly projects expectations onto us, Keke acknowledges that sometimes, connecting with others requires a level of performance, not to be inauthentic, but to be received in the way we intend.
"It could be because you’re a woman. It could be because you’re Black, it could be because you’re gay, because you’re straight, because you are disabled. Now you have to take into account how people see you," she told SELF. "It doesn’t mean that it’s not authentic to you. It is you authentically being intentional about how you show up so that you can get where you want to go."
Keke Palmer On Career Fulfillment: "My work isn't measured by anything more than if I had fun doing it and if I'm enjoying it."
In a 2020 exclusive interview with xoNecole, Keke talked about her project Virgo Tendencies and her evolution of an artist. She continued, saying that her work is "not based on anyone else's outside reactions or feelings, but it's based off of the fact that I like music, I'm creating it and it's enjoyable whereas sometimes when I was a kid, there was a lot of label pressure. Now I don't have a lot of that and I think that shows through the music in the way that I'm able to have more of a creative expression and be able to be more natural with how I give my music to my fans. It's more authentic to me."
On Being a Virgo: "It's the constant analyzing of myself and being able to really pay attention to the details of myself to know what it is I need. That is super Virgo of me and it's a bit controlling, but I like to be in control of myself and in control of my life, so it's okay."
In the same interview, Keke also gave insight into how her Virgo tendencies that served as inspiration for the name of the album she was promoting also act as a throughline in her life, adding, "It's in every factor––whether it be how I feel about my body and my fitness, or how I feel about my mental health and if I need a break, if I need to add more of 'this' in my life with my friends, or remove 'that' because that's not making me feel good––that's my Virgo tendency that I feel really does help me, but then I have other Virgo tendencies that make me crazy, too (laughs)."
Keke On Giving Herself Permission to Simply Be: "I love my alone time. I don't want to talk... For me, it was realizing that I also deserved to exist like that."
For as long as we’ve known Keke, from child star to now, she’s been a natural entertainer. You can count on her to be the one cracking jokes, lighting up rooms, and exuding confidence. But even the most charismatic people have layers, and Keke has been candid about the difference between the extroverted version of herself in public and the more introverted version of herself she is behind closed doors.
In a 2024 interview with Interview, she explained to RuPaul, "You might seem more introverted outside, but then when you get home to the people that are close to you, they might see this super extroverted person. It can vary. But I think for me, I was always externally out, making jokes. It was kind of my defense mechanism in order to deal with some of my own sensitivity. But then when I’m in my own space, I’m very quiet. I love my alone time. I don’t want to talk. Even now when I’m with my son, there are no words. For me, it was realizing that I also deserved to exist like that."
On Side Hustles: "I feel like they are necessary and the only way to create a sense of personal power in the work place. It would be nice to have one job but I feel like depending on one source of income leaves you with zero autonomy."
It's no surprise that the woman wearing multiple hats in the different career lanes she occupies also believes side hustles and multiple income streams in the 2020s is "necessary." She shared her thoughts on the topic in 2023 on X/Twitter via Black Enterprise.
Keke Palmer On Mastering Herself First: "For me in my life, it’s not about the things that I do, it’s about me that I master. Obviously, it’s a constant journey. You’re always evolving."
For Keke, success isn't just about the accolades and achievements, it's about self-mastery. The Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative author shared with US Weekly, "For me in my life, it’s not about the things that I do, it’s about me that I master. Obviously, it’s a constant journey. You’re always evolving. But if you can figure out how to master yourself, then your ability to be a part of all things and make all things work for you is the goal for me. Part of my journey of mastering myself so that I can be everything I want to be and more."
On Keeping It Real: "I don't think I'm servicing anyone by being fake. I am gonna be real because you’re safe when you’re being real. If you say, ‘I don’t know how to do that,’ then you’re not gonna have to go through the pressure of pretending you do."
As a Black woman in Hollywood, choosing authenticity is a radical act, but for Keke, it’s the only way to move through life. In a 2019 interview with Refinery29, she shared that believes that honesty, even about what you don’t know, is the key to real freedom.
"I don’t think that I’m servicing anyone if I’m being fake,” Keke told the publication. “I am gonna be real because you’re safe when you’re being real. If you say, ‘I don’t know how to do that,’ then you’re not gonna have to go through the pressure of pretending you do. Don’t lie to nobody, and then you can relax."
Keke Palmer on the Power of the Reframe: "That's where the reframe comes in. I am the queen of a reframe, okay?"
A recurring theme in Keke's world is the power of shifting her mindset, and one way she's revealed she does that is by mastering the art of the reframe. The Baby, This Is Keke Palmer host shared on The Jennifer Hudson Show that she takes ‘rejection is redirection’ to the next level, reframing every perceived loss as a win.
"That's where the reframe comes in. I am the queen of a reframe, okay? It's not that I didn't get the role, it's that your movie no longer is gonna be as good as it could have been 'cuz I'm not in it. You didn't break up with me, you released me from being in your wrath. And you can call it delusional, but I call it a reframe."
For Keke, it's about divine alignment, a lesson meant to guide her toward something even better. By shifting her mindset, she reclaims her power and moves forward with confidence.
If there’s one lesson we can take from Keke Palmer’s most inspiring quotes, it’s that perspective is everything. She reminds us that when you believe in yourself, the universe has no choice but to align in your favor.
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So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
Apparently, there was a Thanksgiving episode that featured all of the friends having dinner together. And y’all, there was simply no way that I was going to mention the latter without shouting out the original (amen?).
Okay, so with that out of the way — Friendsgiving. Something that I appreciate about twists to holidays like this is that it’s a reminder that there is no one way to celebrate special occasions. And so, if, for whatever the reason, you will not or cannot be with family during the holiday season, there are certainly other alternatives at your disposal.
That being said, if the thought of spending time with friends this Thanksgiving is something that you’d like to do, yet you’re not sure how to host it in a way that will make Friendsgiving a fan favorite for your entire circle — I’ve got 10 suggestions that can make the planning process easy as pumpkin (or sweet potato) pie.
1. Position Chrysanthemums or Orchids for Your Table Décor
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Let’s start with décor first. Listen, aside from cleaning up your place, you don’t have to be over the top. If you put together a really nice centerpiece or put a flower at each table setting, honestly, you’re all good. And if you’re someone who is big on details and symbolism, my recommendation would be to go with some chrysanthemums and/or orchids.
When it comes to chrysanthemums, not only are they a peak fall flower, they represent things like friendship and happiness. And orchids? They tend to bloom during the fall and spring seasons and, not only are they about luxury, certain orchid colors also symbolize friendship (for the record, yellow roses symbolize friendship too). Perfect.
2. Incorporate Scents That Cultivate Gratitude
Speaking of cultivating a warm and inviting space, you can never go wrong with scented soy candles — or at least having an essential oil diffuser in a few spots. Some scents that actually help to bring in the spirit of gratitude include vanilla, jasmine, ginger, cedarwood and frankincense.
3. Use Upscale Paper Products to Dine With
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Let’s be real — a lot more of us would probably host events in our home if it wasn’t for the mess that is left behind in our kitchen once the festivities are over. Wanna avoid that? Use paper plates. No, I don’t mean the cheap Styrofoam ones. SMDH. These days, there are paper (and plastic) plate brands that will low-key blow your mind when it comes to how bougie they look. Some that are worth considering are located here, here and here.
4. Handwrite Thank-You Notes (Use Them As Place Settings)
If you’re like Tiffany (from the HBO series Insecure — what a time) was at that memorable dinner party when all hell broke loose between Lawrence and Issa and you’re pretty anal — I mean, particular — LOL — about place settings, it’s a nice touch to pick up some blank thank-you cards that you can write a personalized “I’m thankful for you because…” message in. Place each one where you’d like each friend to sit. They won’t see it coming and it’s a really nice touch.
5. Have Everyone Bring Their Favorite Homemade Dish
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Okay, and what if what has you on the fence about hosting is you don’t feel like doing a ton of cooking? Chile, this is where the concept of having a potluck comes in. Get everyone to bring the dish that they claim they cook the best and make sure to let them know how many individuals you plan on coming (so that they will make enough). You can even make a game out of it by having everyone anonymously vote for the first, second and third best dishes out of the bunch. Take it up a notch by having a prize for each winner.
6. Take a Warm Drink and Dessert Poll Beforehand
You know what isn’t discussed enough about dinner parties? Folks bringing desserts that other people don’t even like. SMDH. You can avoid this from becoming an issue at your Friendsgiving by sending an email (most people prefer that to group chats; let’s be real — and make sure to BCC everyone as well) asking everyone to share what their top three favorite desserts and warm drinks are. Then pick the top 2-3 out of the bunch. That way, you won’t have a ton of (for instance) coffee cake or apple cider lying around that no one even wanted in the first place.
7. Create a Signature Friendsgiving Mocktail and Cocktail
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Speaking of drinks, another way to make your Friendsgiving memorable is to come up with a signature mocktail (for those who don’t consume alcohol) and cocktail. For the mocktail, you can also poll your friends about their favorite mocktail or fruits and come up with a mixture of your own. For the cocktail — although National Friendship Day is actually in August, I did peep that there are certain drinks that have been created in its honor. Some of them are located here for you to do a bit of tweaking on (if you’d like).
8. Ask Everyone to Share Their “Favorite Friend Quality” of Another
You know how it’s customary for everyone to go around and share what they are truly thankful for before having dinner? Well, to continue along with the Friendsgiving theme, have each person share what their favorite friend quality is about the person to their right. If folks are just meeting each other for the first time, instead they can share what they value the most in friendship overall, along with a story of how it was displayed to them personally over the past 12 months.
9. Send Each of Your Guests Home with a Fresh Gratitude Journal
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Wanna send folks home with a nice parting gift? It would be so on-trend to give each of them a gratitude journal. Listen, we are in some crazy times right through here (at least in the States) and so, encouraging your friends to set some time aside, regularly, to think about and then outwardly express what they are grateful for? That helps to keep stress down, keep things in perspective and it reminds us all to maintain a positive mindset as much as possible.
10. Watch a Nostalgic Movie
While everyone is enjoying dessert and drinks, how about watching a movie that brings back fond memories? A list of some of the most popular movies to come out previous Thanksgiving weekends is located here and a list of some favorite Black holiday-themed films can be found here. It’s a way to wind down and share some laughs before everyone heads home.
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Friendsgiving. What a wonderful way to celebrate your friends while also observing Thanksgiving in a way that is totally on your terms. And now that you know how to put it together, what are you waiting for? Hit your friends up and let them know that, whether it’s on actual Thanksgiving Day or a few days before or after, you’ve got a special dinner in mind.
One that has a good time with amazing friends written ALL over it.
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