Zendaya has truly blossomed throughout her career in the spotlight, from Disney Channel darling to Emmy-winning Euphoria star. Not only has she grown as a performer, but the Spider-Man actress has also become a beauty and fashion icon, setting trends for everything from red carpet dresses to beach day bikini moments.
“When the water is super cold and everyone’s trying to get you to get in, but you just act like a 8 years old about it,” she captioned a funny Instagram video in June 2016. In the clip, the Golden Globe nominee was hesitant to jump into a pool and playfully screamed while a crowd encouraged her to dive in.
Zendaya is known for promoting self-love and has spoken out about body positivity on multiple occasions. In a February 2016 interview with Today, the Marvel Cinematic Universe actress described how her family influenced her confidence.
“If there’s any definition to being perfect, you’re perfect at being yourself,” she said at the time. “There is no such thing as ugly … I was taught as a young child by my parents and family to love myself.”
The “Something New” singer also revealed the bullying she faced when she was younger.
“I was made fun of, but it didn’t bother me very much because I was comfortable in who I was,” Zendaya added. “It’s important to find out who you are and love who you are. No matter what you’re dealing with, it’s so much harder and more draining and so much more exhausting to be constantly pretending to be something that you’re not. It’s very freeing when you’re just like, ‘Yo, I’m just going to do me!’”
Aside from encouraging a positive mindset, Zendaya has also condemned the use of Photoshop. In October 2015, the Oakland, California, native pointed out that professional photos of her had been retouched.
“Had a new shoot come out today, and was shocked when I found my 19-year-old hips and torso quite manipulated,” Zendaya wrote via Instagram at the time alongside side-by-side images of herself, one untouched and the other edited. “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.”
