Kristen Stewart Recalls Being "Hounded" to Label Her Sexuality

In a new interview, Kristen Stewart looked back on the pressure she felt to talk about her sexuality.

By Kaitlin Reilly Oct 07, 2020 6:43 PMTags
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Kristen Stewart spoke about the pressure to discuss her sexuality with the public. 

In a new interview with InStyle, Kristen opened up to Happiest Season director and co-writer Clea DuVall about how she connected with the upcoming film. The Christmas movie is about a woman who brings her girlfriend home for the holidays despite not being out to her parents. As a queer woman, Kristen admitted she felt similar pressure to talk about her sexuality—except for her, it was with the entire world. 

"The first time I ever dated a girl, I was immediately being asked if I was a lesbian," she explained. "And it's like, 'God, I'm 21 years old.' I felt like maybe there were things that have hurt people I've been with. Not because I felt ashamed of being openly gay but because I didn't like giving myself to the public, in a way.

"Even in my previous relationships, which were straight, we did everything we could to not be photographed doing things—things that would become not ours," Kristen continued. "So I think the added pressure of representing a group of people, of representing queerness, wasn't something I understood then."

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Kristen added that while the world "hounded" her to "label" her sexuality, she now understands that she has an opportunity to be a role model for anyone struggling with their identity. 

"I was a kid, and I felt personally affronted. Now I relish it," the Twilight star explained. "I love the idea that anything I do with ease rubs off on somebody who is struggling. That shit's dope! When I see a little kid clearly feeling themselves in a way that they wouldn't have when I grew up, it makes me skip."

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There was a time when people close to her encouraged her to keep her sexuality hidden from the public, the actress told Harper's Bazaar in October of 2019. 

"I've fully been told, 'If you just like do yourself a favor and don't go out holding your girlfriend's hand in public, you might get a Marvel movie,'" Kristen shared with the outlet. "I don't want to work with people like that."