Written by Hannah Burrell
When it comes to celebrities being involved in romantic relationships, they usually tend to keep it hidden and private within the public eye for a couple of months or even a year. But that privacy isn’t hidden once a paparazzi picture is posted, or someone was able to sneak a picture or a quick video of the alleged couple.
Like I said before, that’s what usually happens.
But not for Keke Palmer who was out and about on Halloween with her alleged boyfriend Styn, a white, 27-year old Dutch rapper. She seemed to be quite cuddly and was able to sneak a kiss or two in a video she posted that same day.
This video led to unhappy people some of which had a few things to say as well. Keke tweeted on November 4th stating, “I see a lot of people living one way but voted another.” Which no doubt led to a lot of speculation regarding it being the video she posted yesterday.
A Twitter user, who’s a black woman responded saying, “Like you?” In which Palmer immediately responded, “Sorry sis. I’m not in the mood for pseudo shade rn lol.” It then lead to the Twitter user firing back, writing, “Oh no it’s not shade at all love. I still rock with you… but you kissing that colonizer etc just wasn’t the move in this time right now. But again if it’s not that then that’s on me I’m grown to admit that.”
Shade or not, it’s still shady considering that she had to not even call Keke’s boyfriend by her first name, and instead called him a colonizer. In that, she’s judging based on his skin color that because he is white, she is quickly assuming that Styn is a supposed Trump supporter and that Keke is missing out on the big picture. However. clearly being unbothered, Keke then responds “Lol and this was what you chose to tweet me about. Girlllllll God bless”.
With everything going on in terms of the election, COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, etc, it seems as though Keke would have cared less about what people thought about her love life. What people need to realize is that it’s 2020 where whoever you date shouldn’t matter in regards to race.
I was looking through the comments on Keke’s post and several of the negative comments were coming from black men who said that Keke is missing out on dating “their kind”. Well if we go down the line of Keke’s dating history, she did date quite a few men who are “their kind.”
From 2010 to 2013, Keke Palmer dated Guatemalan Rodney King, from then to rumored dating American actor, Quincy Brown who also was known for being co-stars in the film, Brotherly Love, were on and off again in 2013 of October to January 2017. Shortly after that, she dated Elvin Jackson from the start of January 2018 to 2019. With precisely, all the guys’ she has dated lined up, it’s obvious that she’s had experience in dating “their kind”.
But even if she didn’t, it shouldn’t give reasons to tear her down and think she’s any less of a person when it comes to being in a relationship with someone that she loves.
It’s quite surprising that black men would even consider criticizing Keke for being in an interracial relationship when they do the exact same thing! In the mens’ case, their reason is worse: that we as black women aren’t their type because we are stereotyped into being “too loud”, “too ghetto”, that we are not their type, or simply because we aren’t qualified to give their perfect little family of beautiful children with exotic eyes and the luscious hair of a mixed child.
When we as black women hear these things, a lot of them will quickly tell us that that’s their preference.
No.
That’s simply because they’re ignorant and I sometimes wonder how their mothers must feel to hear them say that about black women as a whole.
Once again, we’ve come a long way for when it comes to interracial dating: take for example, the court case Loving vs. Virgina. This paved the way to have interracial marriages legalied within the hands of the Supreme Court. You can have opinions about Keke Palmer dating Styn, but what you can’t do is bash her or Styn because of their relationship. Let it be known, that we don’t really know Keke Palmer. Yes, you’ll see a few Instagram posts or highlight reels, but that’s only a snapshot of what they feel comfortable sharing within the public eye. However, We must respect them and be happy for them.
The Paradigm Press 