TV and Movies

Posted on 11 Aug 2017

23 Times Zendaya Was The Best Damn Role Model There Is

"I think I’ve successfully made a show that not only allows for representation but sees girls in a powerful and strong position."

by Ellie Bate

BuzzFeed Staff

1. When she explained why she returned to the Disney Channel with KC Undercover after Shake It Up ended.

2. Then when she explained further, and said she felt she had a duty to young people to provide them with a positive role model.

3. When she told the story of the time she ran circles around a room full of Disney executives when she was only 16.

giphy.com

“I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t good at singing or acting or dancing," she said of her character in KC Undercover. "That she wasn’t artistically inclined. I didn’t want them to all of a sudden be like, ‘Oh, yeah, and then she sings this episode!’ No. She can’t dance; she can’t sing. She can’t do that stuff. There are other things that a girl can be. I want her to be martial arts–trained. I want her to be able to do everything that a guy can do. I want her to be just as smart as everybody else. I want her to be a brainiac. I want her to be able to think on her feet. But I also want her to be socially awkward, not a cool kid. I want her to be normal with an extraordinary life.”

4. And every time the show dealt with sexism, racism, and inequality in general.

5. When she spoke up about the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.

6. And when Giuliana Rancic made racist comments about her locs on Fashion Police, and she stood up for herself in a totally classy and badass fashion.

Zendaya @Zendaya

04:20 AM - 24 Feb 2015
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7. When she was not only incredibly inspirational, but also she was relatable AF.

8. Like when she explained why she still lives with her parents.

9. And when she rewatched her old YouTube videos, and it was all of us reliving our own teenage mistakes.

10. When she gave the perfect explanation for her spy alias.

11. When she explained why her character in Spider-Man was important to her, even though it was a relatively small role.

12. And when she told the story of her audition, and it was hilarious.

13. When she stood up for women across the country by attending the Women's March back in January.

14. When she explained that she'd rather be remembered for being a good human being than being a great artist.

15. When someone made a disrespectful comment about her parents, and she didn't hesitate in putting them in their place.

16. When she gave her number one piece of fashion and beauty advice and it was, of course, super inspirational.

17. And when she was on the cover of Vogue, and her reaction to seeing it IRL for the first time was totally priceless.

18. (And, of course, the pictures were the flame emoji personified.)

19. When she totally killed it as Bruno Mars on Lip Sync Battle.

Spike

20. When she was the subject of bodyshaming comments after an appearance at the Kids' Choice Awards, and she hit back ruthlessly yet with grace.

21. And when she gave the best advice on how to deal with bullies.

22. When Rihanna called her a goddess on Instagram, and she reacted like this:

23. And whenever she posts a fire selfie on Instagram, because let's be honest, these looks deserve to be worshipped.

Never change, Zendaya! 💖

BuzzFeed