Zendaya is not just the star of Disney’s hit show “K.C. Undercover.” She has grown into quite the young feminist as well. Recently, the 19-year-old appeared on the cover of New You magazine. Inside the pages, she tackled everything from and how she handled being bullied in school to keeping a positive body image.
“I was taught as a young child by my parents and family to love myself,” she told the magazine. “And it’s the same today — there are certain things that don’t bother me. I just focus on being a good person.”
Last year, Zendaya was criticized by Giuliana Rancic, one of the hosts of Fashion Police, about her hair style “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil.” To which Zendaya responded with a powerful rebuttal on Twitter.
Needless to say, the rising star’s light has only continued to brighten. Last year, she called out Modeliste magazine for photoshopping her slim figure to appear much more trim. “Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19-year-old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic (right side) and I love it?? Thank you @modelistemagazine for pulling down the images and fixing this retouch issue,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a snap featuring a before and after (edited) image.
Now, she’s taking on body image once more, telling New You how she feels about the term, “ugly.” “There is no such thing as ugly. That’s a word that doesn’t really enter my vocabulary.” She continued, “If there’s any definition to being perfect, you’re perfect at being yourself. No other person can be you 100 percent; no one has your fingerprint; no one has your DNA. You are you 120 percent, through and through,” she said.
Zendaya’s words on body image are a powerful message for all women, young and old, who are struggling with “loving themselves.”
What do you think of the singer’s take on keeping it body positive? Sound off in the comment section below.
