Of course, we have to start with Zendaya’s most recent inspiring moment: winning an Emmy. During the 2020 Emmys, Zendaya snagged the award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her role as Rue in Euphoria. She beat out other, bigger names like Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Oh and Laura Linney. Plus, she was the youngest actress to ever win the award. Now that’s inspiring.
Zendaya is amazing.
Along with being a major talent in the entertainment world, she’s also an incredible role model. She’s wonderfully honest with her fans, and she’s not afraid to stand up for what’s right.
If you love Zendaya as much as we do, keep scrolling for a full list of her most inspiring moments.
Bringing Diversity to Disney Channel
Zendaya first made her mark on the entertainment world when she starred in the Disney Channel series Shake It Up alongside Bella Thorne. When that series came to an end, Zendaya could have moved on to bigger and better things. Instead, she chose to pursue another show on Disney Channel—K.C. Undercover. Zendaya later explained that she decided to take on the second show because she wanted to maintain diversity on the Disney Channel. She told Variety, “When I left Disney, there weren’t any families of color on the channel. That was a big reason why I wanted to come back. I think I’ve successfully made a show that not only allows for representation, but sees girls in a powerful and strong position.”
Calling Out Photoshop
All the way back in 2015, when Zendaya was just 19 years old, she was already proving to the world that she was wise beyond her years. As stars do, Zendaya participated in a photoshoot for Modeliste Magazine. But when the pictures came out, she wasn’t happy. She took to Instagram and called out the magazine for photoshopping, posting a picture of the unedited photos alongside the ones that appeared in the publication. She also called out the unrealistic beauty standards photoshopping creates in her caption and asserted her idea of “honest and pure self-love.”