Being a teenager is almost always rough, but when you're a teen celebrity, it's even harder. The years you spend discovering who you are are weighted with increased pressure not only from your peers, but also from the public eye. But if the pressure is getting to Disney Channel superstar Zendaya, she isn't letting it show. This multi-talented young woman is only 18 years old and just graduated high school, but she's already showing the world that there is nothing and no one that can stand in the way of her dreams.
We've shown you before that Zendaya is a force to be reckoned with. She doesn't just act — she's also an incredibly talented dancer, fashion designer, and singer. She's done more in her 18 years of life than most people do in a lifetime, and she's not ready to slow down. This is a woman who sets her own standards and doesn't let anyone tell her what she can't do.
Zendaya isn’t just talented, though — she’s also wise beyond her years. She’s proven many times that she’s more mature than lots of people twice her age. But more than that, she’s shown us that the only opinion she cares about is her own. Between her fashion-forward outfits, her daring accomplishments, and her ability to shut down all the haters, Zendaya shows us every day that she is truly fearless.
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1. When she posted a no-makeup picture on Instagram
Many woman don't like going fresh-faced in public, but when you're a celebrity, it's such a big deal that entire tabloid stories are written about woman who "dared" to go out into the world without wearing any makeup. But for Zendaya, the no-makeup thing is no big deal. Even though she's known for her amazing ability to look completely glamorous when she does wear makeup, she's also not embarrassed to go without it. She's taken plenty of selfies and videos with a bare face, and even without flawlessly blended eyeshadow, she looks gorgeous. We all know that it shouldn't be a big deal when a woman decides not to wear makeup, but when you're in the spotlight and the press makes a huge deal when it's revealed that you don't actually have sky-high lashes or airbrushed skin, it's pretty courageous to show off your natural face.
2. When she stood up to body shamers everywhere
One of the most frustrating things women deal with on a daily basis is the constant criticism of their bodies. We're either too fat or too thin, and oftentimes, the difference just depends on who you ask. Zendaya called out all the body shamers on her Twitter account, shutting them all down by saying that people come in all shapes and sizes in the classiest and sassiest way possible.
3. When she rocked dreadlocks at a red carpet event
Most female celebrities go for bouncy curls or silky and straight hair on the red carpet, but for the 2015 Oscars, Zendaya showed up with a completely different hairstyle instead: dreadlocks. Let's be honest here — this woman could do anything with her hair and still look amazing, but there's no denying that this style was a bold move for the fasion-forward 18-year-old… But, as it turns out, her motivation for wearing them was more than skin-deep.
4. When she wrote a mature and intelligent response to an insensitive comment about her dreads
Following the Oscars, Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic made an incredibly sensitive comment about Zendaya's hair, saying that she felt like she must have smelled like "patchouli oil and weed." Most people (including me) would have probably snapped back with an angry reply, but instead, Zendaya spent a long time crafting an eloquent and thoughtful response to the host. She brought up many successful and famous people who wear locs, and reminded everyone that such comments only contribute to the racism and ignorance that many people have towards others who wear this iconic hairstyle. I really don't think she could have said it any better.
5. When she accepted an apology with just as much maturity and wisdom
Rancic eventually apologized for her comments, saying, “I’d really like to address something that’s weighing very heavy on my heart. I want to apologize for a comment that I made on last night’s Fashion Police about Zendaya’s hair.There is a fine line between what is funny and disrespectful. To say that an 18 year old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or ‘weed’ is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive. This really has been a learning experience for me, I’ve learned a lot today. And this incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of cliches and stereotypes, how much damage they can do. And that I am responsible, as we all are, to not perpetuate them further.”
Zendaya responded with much more than a simple "thank you," and instead delivered yet another insightful message, not only to the Fashion Police host, but to everyone who has accidentally made an insensitive remark to or about someone else.
6. When she was the youngest contestant ever on Dancing with the Stars
ABC’s Dancing with the Stars has seen lots of talented celebrities take the stage to show off their dancing skills, but none of them have been as young as Zendaya. She was only sixteen when she appeared on the show, but she consistently racked up the highest scores throughout the season. In the end, she landed in second place behind country singer Kellie Pickler — a decision that was highly controversial due to a technical malfunction in the online voting system. But honestly, whether she had come in first or last place, just performing on such a competitive show at such a young age takes more guts than most of us could boast at age 16.
7. When she made a bold fashion choice at the Met Gala
Zendaya is well-known for her bold choices in fashion, but her outfit at the 2015 Met Gala was daring even for her. This extravagant, asymmetrical dress was a showstopper at the event, and her spiky, solar-themed accessories were the finishing touches on a look that was fit for a goddess. Plenty of celebs like to turn heads with their bizarre fashion choices, but Zendaya managed to take an unconventional look and make it wonderful instead of weird.
8. When she showed off her voice with this beautiful cover of a famous song
Zendaya has already established herself as a successful pop star with the release of her massive hit “Replay.” But she took her singing career to a whole new level when she performed John Legend’s single, “All of Me,” with Max Schneider. The only music in the background was the sound of Kurt Hugo Schneider on the piano. Don’t get me wrong, it takes major guts to perform any song, but it’s even more courageous to sing a slow, romantic ballad when your voice is heard in its raw form without any autotune or electronic music in the background. The result was an incredibly beautiful performance that, in my opinion, outshines the original version of the song!
9. When she flawlessly pulled off bright and colorful eyeshadow
Fashion experts everywhere will tell you that blue eyeshadow is only OK if you live in the '80s or are 14 years old. You occasionally see it on the catwalk for designers that want their models to portray an edgy look, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a celebrity who wears blue on their lids as an everyday look. At the risk of receiving negative comments from style “experts” everywhere, Zendaya decided to forget all those silly makeup “rules” and went out wearing shimmery blueish purple shadow… and completely rocked it. She might not have even been trying to make a statement with her makeup, but she definitely showed us that just because someone says that a certain style looks tacky doesn’t mean that you can’t wear it anyway and prove them completely wrong.
10. When she danced her heart out in the middle of a store
When your jam comes on, it's hard to resist dancing to it no matter where you are. Still, most of us resist breaking it down in public when our favorite song comes on the radio. But Zendaya proved that she doesn't care one bit about society's silly "rules" when she busted out some moves to Justin Bieber's "Beauty and a Beat" in the middle of a store. And she wasn't exactly subtle about it, either — she stepped and twirled her way around like she was on a stage. If this isn't inspiration to dance whenever and wherever your heart feels like it, I don't know what is!
11. When she hosted the 2015 Radio Disney Music Awards
Zendaya is constantly adding to her list of accomplishments, and as of 2015, she can officially check off "host an awards show" as one of them. The star not only did a great job as a host, but also managed to stay stylish while doing so, changing outfits multiple times "to keep things interesting" during the show. And being a host is no easy task. There are a ton of responsibilities and pressure that Zendaya had to take on for the role, but she managed it all with an easy-going attitude and a smile on her face. This was her third year at the awards show, though only her first year as a host — last year, she was there as a performer, and the year before, she was only in attendance. Zendaya just continues to ascend in everything she does!
12. When she stood up against misogynists on Twitter
When the misogynistic Twitter account "Manstagram" made fun of YouTube star Shannon for her bare-faced look in one of her makeup tutorial videos, Zendaya took to the social media platform to stick up for her. She said that Shannon looked awesome both with and without makeup, and she's exactly right. Some men have it in their heads that women only wear makeup to "trick" guys into thinking they're more beautiful than they actually are instead of, you know, wearing it just because they like to. Hopefully, other people will start to take Zendaya's lead and shut down these ignorant comments and make both the internet and the real world a better place to be.
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