Sometimes I wonder if people get a kick out of asking Raven-Symoné questions just so they will have something to chuckle about. Apparently The View co-host still doesn’t like being labeled, and I suppose that is fine.
In an interview with People magazine, Raven-Symoné says she still doesn’t want to be called African American, or even gay, for that matter.
“I don’t like labels, but everyone needs them to understand what is going on. So, OK, I get it. Give me ‘American.’ There is nothing wrong with being an American, purely,” the former Cheetah Girl stated.
“This is me and what I feel about myself. But if you identify as African American, then you’re African American,” she says. “What right do I have to tell you what you are and what you’re not?”
So does that mean she’s not “black,” either? Or black American? Or black-ish? Or, you know what … never mind.
“I think that there are a lot of different races that fall under ‘American,’ so past that, you really just are subcategorizing me over and over again,” Raven-Symoné stated. “I’m not disowning my history in any way. My family has been here for almost 400 years. We’re American.”
People also asked her about her relationship with former America’s Next Top Model contestant AzMarie Livingston, who appears on Empire, and that’s when Raven-Symoné came up with another label for herself, saying she’s a “human who loves humans” rather than “gay.”
Maybe someone should explain to Raven-Symoné that she’s actually labeling herself by using her nonlabels. Which leads me to wonder if she’s ever been labeled smart.
But she’s right: Be what you want to be. Today I’m labeling myself Cotton Candy American.