Raven-Symone is one of the most well known and wealthiest celebrities to come up from being a child star. She has showcased her talents through many different facets – television, music, film, talk shows, etc. – and she hasn’t shown sign of stopping anytime soon. Raven-Symone Christina Pearman, born in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 10, 1985. In the early years of her career, Raven moved to New York and signed with Ford modeling Agency. She claimed in an interview with an ET: Unfiltered segment that her parents were always asked if Raven was a doll. They claimed that she looked fake or too perfect, and that was enough motivation to put their daughter into the modeling world. From there, she got her first audition for the movie Ghost Dad featuring the legendary Bill Cosby, but she was passed up because she was only 3 years old at the time. A little later, Bill Cosby sought Raven-Symone out for her starring role as Olivia on The Cosby Show. This sequence of events is what piloted the multimedia star we see today, and her story is definitely the result of good public relations and marketing herself throughout Hollywood.
Everyone must start somewhere! Raven can thank her parents for placing her in the spotlight that jumpstarted her career. She has acquired a great deal of resources through her many “talents,” which ultimately have kept her afloat in the media all of these years. Aside from modeling and acting at just 3, Raven began a music career at only 5 years old when she signed with MCA Records. She took vocal lessons with Missy Elliott whom, at the time, was extremely busy on the scene with her own music and working as a songwriter for several large artists like Jodeci, Whitney Houston, and her first hit, “That’s What Little Girls Are Made of,” for Raven-Symone. In 1996, after signing a distribution deal with Crash Records, Raven was aided by singer, songwriter, and producer Stevie Wonder who created the original tune for her single “With a Child’s Heart” in 1999. Then, she was cast alongside Eddie Murphy, who is a well-endowed comedian, actor, singer, etc., in Doctor Dolittle. These are just a few early connections that Raven-Symone had placed under her belt just before the age of 16.
Her image matured as grew up in the industry, but the thing that never changed was her sassy but loveable persona. From Olivia to Charisse, Raven has churned a smile in the hearts of millions through quirky slapstick, trendy fashion, and her all-around “demand for attention” according to cleojournal (a journal of film and feminism). Her role a Raven Baxter in That’s So Raven was, and still is, groundbreaking for young black women. In the show, Raven not only stars, but she demands her way through life while teaching her audience real-world life lessons. Raven Baxter, in my personal opinion, intersects all of the skills that she had worked her way through in her childhood like successful comedy intake, evoke of real emotion, the side-step of music, providing humility, and overall the show screams a movement of feminism. Although she plays her role well, Raven-Symone used her influence to create a safe space for girls to feel powerful, and she earned her fanbase because of her delivery of real content.
After her 3-year hiatus, Raven decided it was time to retire the cue cards and speak her mind. She joined Season 18 of The View as co-host panelist, and the world was satisfied with everything but her answers. I remember talking about a comment made by Raven-Symone in my senior year of high school (2015-2016). It was about a heated conversation involving “ghetto names” where Raven said, “I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea.” According to Essence, she ultimately apologized for her discriminative stance. This was not a good look for her, and it tampered with her credibility as a black artist as well as her likeability. She stated in her Unfiltered interview that she wanted to be on The View as her way of “transitioning into adulthood.” As far as personal matters, I agree with her decision. She made it indirectly clear that growing up as a child star really disconnected her from being an average person. All she knew how to do was recite what someone else wrote in the emotion she thought she was supposed to have; she had to have a way to break out of the entertainment routine. Otherwise, this new-found voice put a hold on her career, considering that so much had changed and conflicted from the persona that she had already built. I feel like it was too sudden for her audience, and her messages did not align nor agree with the current mainstream media culture.
She left The View in 2016 and would go back to Disney in 2017 to begin the journey for “Raven’s Home,” where Raven Baxter is now an adult with 2 children. She now caterers to a broader audience, and she has somehow managed to salvage her name by growing with her prior audience. In the show, Raven is a single mother raising 11-year old twins. She is also roommates with her best friend Chelsea and her 9-year old son. This is a family setting that is rarely if ever shown on television. It was a stroke of genius for Raven to bank off of her most beloved and well-missed character while also toning down her image. In reality, she reaches out to the LGBTQ+ community seeing as she is a lesbian, which is considered a dramatic change from her childhood appearance. She also carries the same confidence that resonates with her audiences over different generations. Raven-Symone is dynamite at PR, and she seems unstoppable, considering she has never been down for too long! As a fan, I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table in her future ventures.
Everyone must start somewhere! Raven can thank her parents for placing her in the spotlight that jumpstarted her career. She has acquired a great deal of resources through her many “talents,” which ultimately have kept her afloat in the media all of these years. Aside from modeling and acting at just 3, Raven began a music career at only 5 years old when she signed with MCA Records. She took vocal lessons with Missy Elliott whom, at the time, was extremely busy on the scene with her own music and working as a songwriter for several large artists like Jodeci, Whitney Houston, and her first hit, “That’s What Little Girls Are Made of,” for Raven-Symone. In 1996, after signing a distribution deal with Crash Records, Raven was aided by singer, songwriter, and producer Stevie Wonder who created the original tune for her single “With a Child’s Heart” in 1999. Then, she was cast alongside Eddie Murphy, who is a well-endowed comedian, actor, singer, etc., in Doctor Dolittle. These are just a few early connections that Raven-Symone had placed under her belt just before the age of 16.
Her image matured as grew up in the industry, but the thing that never changed was her sassy but loveable persona. From Olivia to Charisse, Raven has churned a smile in the hearts of millions through quirky slapstick, trendy fashion, and her all-around “demand for attention” according to cleojournal (a journal of film and feminism). Her role a Raven Baxter in That’s So Raven was, and still is, groundbreaking for young black women. In the show, Raven not only stars, but she demands her way through life while teaching her audience real-world life lessons. Raven Baxter, in my personal opinion, intersects all of the skills that she had worked her way through in her childhood like successful comedy intake, evoke of real emotion, the side-step of music, providing humility, and overall the show screams a movement of feminism. Although she plays her role well, Raven-Symone used her influence to create a safe space for girls to feel powerful, and she earned her fanbase because of her delivery of real content.
After her 3-year hiatus, Raven decided it was time to retire the cue cards and speak her mind. She joined Season 18 of The View as co-host panelist, and the world was satisfied with everything but her answers. I remember talking about a comment made by Raven-Symone in my senior year of high school (2015-2016). It was about a heated conversation involving “ghetto names” where Raven said, “I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea.” According to Essence, she ultimately apologized for her discriminative stance. This was not a good look for her, and it tampered with her credibility as a black artist as well as her likeability. She stated in her Unfiltered interview that she wanted to be on The View as her way of “transitioning into adulthood.” As far as personal matters, I agree with her decision. She made it indirectly clear that growing up as a child star really disconnected her from being an average person. All she knew how to do was recite what someone else wrote in the emotion she thought she was supposed to have; she had to have a way to break out of the entertainment routine. Otherwise, this new-found voice put a hold on her career, considering that so much had changed and conflicted from the persona that she had already built. I feel like it was too sudden for her audience, and her messages did not align nor agree with the current mainstream media culture.
She left The View in 2016 and would go back to Disney in 2017 to begin the journey for “Raven’s Home,” where Raven Baxter is now an adult with 2 children. She now caterers to a broader audience, and she has somehow managed to salvage her name by growing with her prior audience. In the show, Raven is a single mother raising 11-year old twins. She is also roommates with her best friend Chelsea and her 9-year old son. This is a family setting that is rarely if ever shown on television. It was a stroke of genius for Raven to bank off of her most beloved and well-missed character while also toning down her image. In reality, she reaches out to the LGBTQ+ community seeing as she is a lesbian, which is considered a dramatic change from her childhood appearance. She also carries the same confidence that resonates with her audiences over different generations. Raven-Symone is dynamite at PR, and she seems unstoppable, considering she has never been down for too long! As a fan, I can’t wait to see what she brings to the table in her future ventures.
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