Former Disney Channel star Alyson Stoner was part of our childhoods in so many ways. She starred in Cheaper by the Dozen, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” “Phineas and Ferb,” Step Up and Camp Rock. Since her Disney Channel days, Stoner has been active in the music industry and released a new single only days ago, called “When It’s Right.”
In conjunction with her new new song, Stoner wrote a personal essay for Teen Vogue where she opens up about the tumultuous journey she took to accept her bisexuality.
“A girl who changed everything I knew about myself as a woman, human being, and performer,” she writes. “My new single ‘When It’s Right’ is the first painting of a vivid new world I now call home, and she’s the main inspiration.”
Stoner relays her confusing experience she had trying to figure out the source of feelings after meeting this woman at a dance workshop and their interactions afterward. Growing up in a religion that believed gay relations were sinful, she struggled internally and externally, even going as far as trying conversion therapy to correct what many believed to be a problem.
“Our bond didn’t feel quite sisterly or platonic. Flashes of her smile progressed to flashes of her wavy hair followed by the curve of her hips through her straight-leg pants,” she writes. “I realized I had never fantasized about a guy this way, nor really ever felt comfortable dating guys. Come to think of it, I stared at women’s bodies more than anything. But wasn’t that just societal conditioning or the unattainable beauty standards that fuel comparison and objectification? I refused to entertain other possibilities.”
After many years of struggle, Stoner finally accepts her sexual identity,and she tells other women in her place to know there’s nothing wrong with them: “I, Alyson, am attracted to men, women, and people who identify in other ways. I can love people of every gender identity and expression…If you’re questioning or struggling with your sexuality, gender identity, or anything else, know that I and so many who’ve gone before us are with you. Whatever your identity, you are lovable and wonderful and enough.”
I highly recommend taking five minutes out of your busy day to read the full essay because it will make you see things differently in the best possible way. Find it here.