Keke Palmer has called for the music industry to think about how it treats female entertainers, even urging it to adopt something that reflects #MeToo.
During a recent interview with PEOPLE, Keke Palmer discussed her new album, Big Boss — her first project since her 2020 EP, Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 2 — and its accompanying film, which treks through her life, career, and journey as an entertainer.
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She also describes her experiences with rampant sexism in the industry towards women. The new mother went a step further, stating that while the #MeToo movement has yet to reach music, it should.
Originally founded by Tarana Burke in 2006, a sexual assault survivor and activist, the movement seeks to raise awareness about abuse, harassment, and rape culture. It became a viral hashtag in 2017, after actors like Alyssa Milano discussed their experiences working in the industry.
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According to Keke Palmer, while “bad shit happens in all industries,” it is very prevalent in the entertainment business.
“We know bad things happen in all of them, but it’s almost like the acting world represents a union and the music industry represents non-union,” the Nope actor began.
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“It’s happening in the actor world but eventually, it’s going to come to a damn halt. Somebody’s going to get called out. Something’s going to happen. At some point, we’re going to come to some kind of understanding. ”
Palmer added: “With music, it’s like everybody is being paid, and everybody’s a crooked cop. So, it seems like nothing will ever really come to a head.”
Palmer said that she learned to stand up for herself over the years, but that the “sad thing is that you learn these things from being in bad situations.” In her opinion, “it almost feels like it’s a coming-of-age story for a woman.”
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“Being a woman is like, ‘Damn, the biggest mistake you can make is trusting somebody.’ Damn, I just shouldn’t have trusted someone?” she explained. “I wish that there was more that we could do, but it seems like we can’t even really expect for people to respect our boundaries.”
After all the setbacks, Keke Palmer admitted she had considered leaving the industry, but she would always “somehow find herself back again.”
