And it certainly doesn't mean that a person's relationships must look a particular way.

Sexual orientation describes patterns of attraction, but people experience and describe those patterns differently.

For some people, a label provides clarity.

For others, labels feel restrictive.

Someone might know that they are attracted to men and women and describe themselves as bisexual.

Another person might prefer queer.

Someone else might use pansexual because they feel that the term more accurately reflects their experience.

Another person may simply say that they are attracted to people without choosing a specific label.

None of these approaches automatically invalidates the others.

This is especially important when discussing celebrities.

The public often wants simple answers.

Is someone straight?

Gay?

Bisexual?

Pansexual?

But real human experiences can be considerably more complicated.

A person may also use different language at different points in their life.

That doesn't necessarily mean they are contradicting themselves.

Language evolves.

People learn more about themselves.

And individuals may become more comfortable discussing aspects of their identity that they previously kept private.

Anderson has spoken openly enough about sexuality to make the subject part of public discussion, but that doesn't mean every interpretation of her comments should automatically be treated as an official declaration of identity.

There is another misconception worth addressing.

Being pansexual does not mean that someone has equal attraction to every gender.

It also doesn't mean that gender has no influence whatsoever on attraction.

The term generally refers to the possibility of attraction regardless of gender.

Individual experiences vary considerably.

That is why definitions are useful, but they should not be used to force someone's personal experience into a box.

When Anderson's comments are discussed online, the most accurate approach is therefore to distinguish between what she actually said and how other people interpreted those statements.

That small distinction can completely change the meaning of a viral headline.

Chapter 3: Anderson Has Spoken About Attraction to Women Before

The discussion surrounding Anderson's sexuality did not suddenly begin with a social-media post.

She has spoken publicly about relationships with women and about her attraction to women at different points in her life.