Yara Shahidi is simply stunning! And underneath all those luscious curls, is a beautiful mind and a girl on her grind!
The 15-year-old actress who plays the popular older sister "Zoey Johnson," on ABC's Black-Ish, has been making rounds in the industry for years now, but it's only recently that she's found herself on our faves radar.
Although on TV she acts as the somewhat self-absorbed "Zoey," Yara herself is everything but. The teen star, who in real life enjoys math and science, is extremely grounded and all about making the right moves. According to her shoot with Teen Vogue, Yara recently teamed up with DoSomething.org and 3M to become the face of 'Science Sleuth," a text-message style game and app that encourages teens to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). According to Yara:
"Science, math, and technology, to me, are the cornerstones of potential advancement. New discoveries, cures for diseases, and ways to help our world feel more like a community all happen because of these areas.I want young people to know that our communities need us to keep learning and contributing so that we can help solve crises like world hunger and disease."
Well said! Check out 7 interesting things on Yara below!
1. She just recently did a college tour of Harvard... and she's only 15!
Beauty and brains! Even though the actress has a pretty demanding career, that hasn't stopped her from prioritizing. The teen star, who doesn't even have a license to drive yet (although she admits she is the "queen" of jet-skiing), is currently enrolled online in a total of five Advanced Placement classes at Dwight School in New York City.
Just recently, she revealed to Teen Vogue that she's in the middle of touring colleges, with both Brown and Harvard being at the top of her list!
"I actually just visited Harvard, and I spent the day with [writer and professor] Jamaica Kincaid and some other professors, and it was incredible. It's such a cool campus too, and at first it seems so unattainable, but it had such a good community feel. I'm also looking at Brown. Tracee [Ellis Ross], my TV mother, got her honorary doctorate from there, which was very cool!"
2. Culture Representation is Everything- No "Poor-Trayals!"
Even as a teen, Yara understands the importance of image and cultural representation. The 15-year-old, whose mother is African-American and her father Iranian, Huffington Post last month that she turned down many roles before Black-Ish in order to steer clear of any negative stereotypes or poor portrayals of Black people.
"Before Black-ish, I got offered a couple roles that were just, you know, they just didn't portray black people very well, teenagers very well, me very well [or] anything like that, so I ended up turning them down. But Black-ish was perfect and timely. It was kind of what America needed at the time. It's great that there are actors of color that are working and doing a brilliant job, but it's still important to have a positive image or role model."
3. Speaking of Family-- She Got Her Start in Hollywood Thanks to Her Actress Mom!
Yara got her start in the business at a fairly early age. At only six months old, baby Yara was featured in an ad for insurance. And as a kid star, she's had her share of TV and movie roles (Butter, Imagine That, Salt, Alex Cross, etc.) However, Yara's introduction to Hollywood was by way of her actress mom.
Yara's mother, Keri, is a successful commercial actress, and her father, Afshin, was singer Prince's longtime photographer. Yara's younger brothers are also set to be up next on TV:
"I have two younger brothers — 12 and 7 — and they're fantastic. My 12-year-old brother, Sayeed, is going to be starring in a new show called Uncle Buck on ABC.. And my 7-year-old brother is going to be on a new show called American Crime Story. He'll be playing Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s son!"
Nice!
4. Her Cousin is Rapper Nasir Jones
Yara's mother Keri and Nas are first cousins, making Yara and Nas second cousins. The rapper is constantly spotted showing love to his little cuz on Instagram, and Yara and Nas' daughter Destiny are really good friends as well, with the actress recently modeling for Destiny's Lipmatic Lipgloss line. Yara revealed :
"My momma grew up with [Nas]. He got his genealogy done at Harvard and Henry Louis Gates Jr. did his entire family background. I was a flower girl at his wedding."
5. She's a Black Belt in Karate Who is Obsessed with Crime Fighting
Aside from being a Comic book fan-girl (Yara admits she keeps up with everything Marvel), the teen says that if she wasn't an actress, she'd be fighting crime-- in real life!
"I'm a detective show junkie. Law & Order SVU or Criminal Intent are two of my favorites. I just met Pablo Schreiber, who had a two season arc on Law & Order, and I was so excited I had no words. I'm pretty sure I freaked him out. We were at an Emmys event, and my mother had to tell him that I'm an actress, too, and not just some weird fan. If I couldn't act, I'd want to run the CIA or FBI."
6. Her style icon is Kerry Washington
Which totally makes sense seeing as to how Yara played "Young Kerry" in Season 2 of Scandal! The stylish teen said she's in love with Kerry's more classic fashion, and is also not afraid to get daring in the dude's section at "Brooks Brothers."
"Kerry Washington is definitely a style icon of mine, she's pretty fabulous.I also love Brooks Brothers, it's one of my favorite stores. I always shop in the boys' section. One of my favorite outfits was a Brooks Brothers pantsuit with oxford heels, so I like mixing and matching like that. I wear oxfords for everything through, they're my favorite style of footwear."
7. She Speaks Farsi!
As mentioned before Yara is half-Iranian and grew up speaking Farsi fluently. However, she may need to brush up on it just a bit!
"I'm half-Iranian, I can understand Farsi, and I used to be able to read and write it too. I'm starting up classes this year in school so I can be fluent again."
Bonus:
Yara recently shot with Teen Vogue for an amazing #HairGoals shoot. Check out the photos in our gallery, as well as an important hair tip on how she maintains her healthy hair:
“Protective hair styles. I try not to put heat on it until it comes to event or work. My hair is a bun most times, wash and goes with deep conditionars and twist-outs is my favorite style… and after a long day I put my hair in a 'pineapple' bun at the end of the day and my twist out will last for 5 days. Pineapples work!"
Noted!
Now masterdating? Even though it’s not even close to being a “real” word, it’s something that also brought a laugh outta me — although it was then followed by a genuine smile. The laugh because I almost immediately caught the play-on-words. The smile was due to the intention behind it all.
If you’re not familiar with what masterdating is and you’re curious about why you should even care, take a few moments to at least skim through what it’s about and why I think participating, as a single person, is a pretty cool (and effective) concept.
@knotlukas Masturdate: a date w oneself
What’s Masterdating All About?
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Masterdating. Okay, so let the word marinate for just a moment. What does it sound like? Yeah…exactly. And since a huge part of masturbation centers around self-pleasure, it’s cool to explore how “self-dating” could produce similar (as far as pleasure is concerned in a broader sense) results. Because masterdating is all about spending quality time with yourself, pampering yourself, treating yourself— and yes, taking yourself out on dates.
Any of you who may think that masterdating is a consolation prize — and a pitiful one at that — for not being able to go out with another human being or get that dream $200 first date that social media was all in a tizzy about last year (bookmark that) — personally, I think that you’re the demographic who needs to try out masterdating first and the most. Why? Off top, I’ll share my three good reasons.
3 Reasons To Strongly Consider Masterdating
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1. It’s an intimate way to get to know yourself better. I’ve been working with couples for a pretty long time at this point and if there’s a pattern that I see arise, OFTEN, it’s that two people are oftentimes so busy trying to “find their person” that they didn’t even know who they were. As a direct result, they found themselves in a relationship with someone who only complemented the “kiddie pool version” of who they were.
That’s why it can be so beneficial to spend time getting to know yourself on the “deep end” of things: what makes you tick, what your passions are, what you want most out of life, what are your interests beyond obvious things — and masterdating can help you to discover all of this. Whether it’s traveling alone or taking out a weekend to drink some wine and journal, the more you get to know yourself, the clearer you’ll be about who complements you on a romantic and friendship level.
2. It will definitely help to boost your confidence levels. I guess since I’m an ambivert, I don’t really get why people freak out at the mere thought of going to a restaurant or movie alone. Personally, I think it requires a helluva lot more energy and gumption to wait around and plan stuff with other people (#Elmoshrug). However, whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert, there’s no way around the fact that the more comfortable you get with doing things alone, the more your confidence levels will increase — no, soar — because of it.
One article that I read on the topic said that doing things alone can make you more creative, improve your mental health, and help you to be totally okay with being alone (so that you’re not “needy” for other people’s attention). A psychotherapist from a New York Times article on the benefits of spending time alone said, “Getting better at identifying moments when we need solitude to recharge and reflect can help us better handle negative emotions and experiences, like stress and burnout.” And when you’re able to stare negativity in its face without flinching, how could that not make you bolder, more self-secure, and hopeful about your life?
3. It will teach you to value your time more effectively. In every facet of your world, you’re gonna operate from a healthier place if you’re operating from a “full cup” rather than an empty one. When it comes to this topic, think about it — if you’re constantly waiting on someone to call you to go out or wishing for a dream date with some guy, all you’re doing is wasting precious time that you could be spending taking a cooking class or hell, hiring a chef to make you dinner at your own home.
Indeed, waiting has two sides to it: when it’s in the form of patience, it is indeed a virtue, yet when it’s wrapped up in the notion that you’re not really living life unless you have an audience…it is totally working against you. Choose wisely.
10 Solo Date Ideas To Help You To “Master” Masterdating
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So, what if you’re someone who has either never considered actually masterdating before or you don’t really know what to do beyond dinner and the movies? Here are a few ideas to consider:
1. Attend a workshop or masterclass that you’re interested in. If there’s something that you’ve always wanted to learn, sign up for a workshop or masterclass. The cool thing about this option is there are probably some in your city, as well as some that you can find online (like here) that are convenient and affordable.
2. Binge-read at a local coffee shop. Aside from their coziness and oftentimes inviting scents, I once read that a lot of us gravitate to coffee shops because we can be around people without having to actually socialize with them. So, if you want to “hang out” while still being able to enjoy a bit of solitude, take a book that you’ve been trying to finish to a local coffee shop, order your favorite latte, and sit in a big-ass comfy chair. Usually, you can sit there for hours, and the staff will be just fine with it (another bonus).
3. Have a spa day in the next town. You can never go wrong with a spa day. And while going with a friend can be fun, sometimes there’s too much talking transpiring to be able to fully chill out and relax. So, go off of the grid, get a change of scenery, and hit up a spa in the next city (or town). There are lots of studies out here supporting that day trips or “daycations” can actually be really good for your long-term health and well-being.
4. See a community play. Some of the best solo dates that I’ve ever been on consisted of taking in some of the local arts in my city. What’s really cool about this particular option is, oftentimes, they are extremely inexpensive, if not totally free of charge (in exchange for making a donation or putting money into a tip jar).
5. Plan a trip. Whenever people say something along the lines of, “If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed,” I know that they low-key have some (additional) healing to do from past disappointments. There’s simply too much intel out here to support that anticipation (of good stuff) makes us more motivated and optimistic, keeps our dopamine levels up, and makes life more exciting overall.
Since traveling alone is more cost-effective, gives you the freedom to do whatever you want (when you want), and increases the possibility of meeting new people and having new experiences on your journey — why not devote a day this weekend to planning a solo trip? All the way around, it’s good for you.
6. Try your hand at your own “$200 date.” Uh-huh. Roll your eyes if you want to, but it’s real easy to talk left about how a man should be able to just drop $200 like it’s nothing…until you actually try to do it. So yes, while taking yourself out on this type of date could serve as a bit of a reality check, it can also “scratch the itch” of waiting on some dude to do it for you. It’s also way less emotionally draining because, at least when you’re taking your own self out, it’s guaranteed that you’ll enjoy the company…right?
7. DIY some pampering. When you get a chance, check out “5 Reasons You Should Unapologetically Pamper Yourself,” “Want To Love On Yourself? Try These 10 Things At Home.,” “I’ve Got Some Ways For You To Start Pampering Your Soul,” and “When's The Last Time You Actually Pampered Your Vagina?” The bottom line here is pampering is all about, not mere self-maintenance; it’s all about treating yourself to levels of EXTREME SELF-INDULGENCE. So, if nothing else tickles your fancy on this list, at least consider doing that, chile.
8. Feed your creativity. Something that I used to be really good at is art. That said, one of my goddaughters is insanely talented, so she has reminded me to tap back into it. Also, a big part of what got me into the writing world is poetry; I actually used to be a house poet at a local spot. Sometimes, my best quality time moments with myself have been revisiting these creative sides of me — and this is definitely easier to do (and enjoy) alone.
9. Try some stargazing. When’s the last time you took a blanket into your backyard, laid down on it, and just stared at the stars for hours on end? While some say that stargazing can teach you to be mindful, others say that being in that form of nature reduces stress, while others believe that looking up at the universe at night can increase your attention span. All solid reasons to give it a shot, if you ask me.
10. DO. ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING. Let me tell you something that nobody will ever be able to make me feel bad about: doing absolutely nothing. I’ve got data to back me up. Good Housekeeping shares that doing nothing can help you decide how you want to respond or react to certain things. I like howThe Guardian says that taking this approach helps you to regain control of what you give your attention to.
TIME magazine says that it can ultimately make you more productive.BBC offers up that it can help you tap into your ingenuity.Henry Ford Health says that it can make you kinder and a better problem-solver. So, if you want to invest in yourself, do nothing sometimes.
Closing Thoughts from the Lovely Javicia Leslie
While some of y'all may know Javicia Leslie from being the former Batwoman, I discovered her back in the day from the indie series Chef Julian (and yes, "Julian" was right to say that "Mo" looks like Tatyana Ali...the real ones know). Sometimes I'll hop on her IG to see what she's got going on and this story popped up within a few hours of me penning this...so, I took it as hella confirmation.
TREAT YO SELF. WAIT FOR NO ONE.
WAIT FOR NO ONE. TREAT YO SELF.
RINSE AND REPEAT.
_____
Sooo…what kind of masterdating plans do you have for this coming weekend? While going out with others has its perks, hanging out with yourself has a ton of ‘em too. Enjoy!
No…for real. ENJOY!
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