Keke Palmer thinks child stars are 'exploited'

Keke Palmer has “trauma” from being a child star.

The 28-year-old actress – who began her career when she was nine and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award at the age of 10 – believes being a child entertainer is “really exploitative” because the young performers are not yet aware of their own “limits”.

She told The Guardian newspaper: “I think performing in general is exploitative. I think that being a child entertainer is really exploitative, because you don’t even know your limits yourself.

“And a lot of what you later envision as a memory is actually trauma.”

The ‘Nope’ star recently hit out at Twitter comments comparing her and Zendaya – which suggested the ‘Eiphoria’ star has been more successful because she is lighter skinned – and she’s insisted she just “ignores” being subjected to colorism.

She said: “It’s difficult. I’m asked about it a lot, you know? Before that little tweet even came out.” She tries again. “People would always ask me: ‘How do you deal with colorism? How do you deal with being Black in this industry?’ And the answer I’m gonna give you may not be the answer that you want. Because the truth is, I ignore it. I ignore it.”

Keke believes she should be celebrated for her accomplishments, not seen as a victim.

She said: “I just hate when the narrative goes to a place where I think young girls might look and say: ‘I’m a victim.’ When yes, racism is real. Colorism is real.

“You believe I’m not doing enough, not because I’m not but because you don’t believe that I can be enough. And that is colorism.

“You should actually use me as an example of what I was able to accomplish despite what I was up against. Don’t change the story of somebody who has given hope to make them hopeless.

“The real conversation around colorism and Keke Palmer should be that she defied the odds.”