Why Zendaya Auditions For Roles Meant For White Women
Zendaya has effortlessly ascended to becoming one of the top faces of young Hollywood. Smart, outspoken, fashionable, and charitable, the 21-year-old actress not only understands her responsibility as a role model but embraces it with ease and enthusiasm.
The Spider-Man star doesn't hold back when it comes to speaking up on representation in Hollywood. As a biracial woman (her mother is white and her father is black), she understands the importance of inclusion but stops short of wanting be its sole representative. At this year's Beautycon, she made it clear that Hollywood needs to do better in regards to colorism:
"I am Hollywood's, I guess you could say, acceptable version of a black girl, and that needs to change. We're vastly too beautiful and too interesting for me to be the only representation of that."
Zendaya is seemingly on a mission to change the minds of casting directors when it comes to diversity. As women of color, we've all been placed in scenarios where we've had to either use our "white sounding" voice or downplay our ethnicity in order to get the call.
For Zendaya, she is breaking down her own doors by auditioning for roles that are typically reserved for white women. By doing so, she is also opening doors for women of color in line behind her. She told Janet Mock in a conversation for Marie Claire:
"I always tell my theatrical manager, 'Anytime it says they're looking for white girls, send me out. Let me get in the room. Maybe they'll change their minds.' And, honestly, if there's a part that I didn't get or that I really wanted at the time, shit always ends up working out."
As one of the many faces representing #blackgirlmagic on magazine covers of major September issues, she recognizes that the more she puts herself out there, the more Hollywood will not only recognize her talent, but perhaps they will even begin to create more roles for people of color to audition for in the first place.
Zendaya also notes that she stands firm in her convictions, and if something doesn't feel right, she won't do it in order to please others. She says:
"There was a lot of not getting the audition that I wanted and often going out for parts that weren't written for a girl who looks like me and just saying, "Hey, see me anyway," until the right thing stuck. Whenever I've been persuaded or trying to do something to please somebody else or because there's pressure from people in general to make a decision, it always blows up in my face. So I have been in this zone of only doing shit because I want to do it and because it feels right all the way through."
She doesn't take her position lightly, either. Yara Shahidi is also another woman of color blazing the trail of representation in Hollywood. When asked why she is so vocal about Hollywood's lack of diversity, Zendaya knows that she and Shahidi have an important responsibility to help pave the way for women that don't look like them. She says:
"What is important to me is knowing we are not the only black girls in the industry. We kind of have been painted as the face, and that's not the truth. It's important to have a conversation where we are opening the door to our peers and more black women who don't necessarily look like us."
"What is important to me is knowing we are not the only black girls in the industry."
The former Disney star has gracefully transitioned from girl to woman in the acting world. However, Disney kids and child actors have often had a difficult time navigating life after reaching stardom at a young age—insert Lindsay Lohan. But Zendaya is smart enough to know that she doesn't have the option to make those same mistakes.
As women of color, it is almost like our cross to bear: we have to work twice as hard to earn the same opportunities AND we aren't afforded the humanness to mess up. She refuses to jeopardize her career in the name of "just being a kid." She tells Janet Mock:
"What my white peers would be able to get away with at this point in their career is not something that I will be able to do. And I knew that from when I was real young. That's just the truth, and so you'll be kind of afraid of making mistakes because I love what I do. I don't want to jeopardize it at any point because I am not allowed the room to mess up."
Zendaya may be young, but she already has big plans for the future. Like the Ava Duvernays and the Mara Brock Akils ahead of her, she says she wants to help create opportunities for people of color and to maybe one day start her own production company. She says:
"One day I might want to have my own production company and create the material that I want to be in. Sometimes we have to create our own lane and our own opportunities when they're not handed to us."
It would be easy for Zendaya to fly under the radar and not speak out on these issues. Instead, she uses her platform to not only shed light on these issues and is actively taking the steps she needs to in order to make these changes happen.
The example she is setting is one that is desperately needed in today's entertainment world, and we are so here for it!
To read more of her interview with Janet Mock, click here. Zendaya's issue of Marie Claire hits newsstands on August 21.
Featured image by Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com
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Michelle Schmitz is a writer and editor based in Washington, DC originally from Ft Lauderdale, FL. A self-described ambivert, you can find her figuring out ways to read more than her monthly limit of The New York Times, attending concerts, and being a badass, multi-tasking supermom. She also runs her own blog MichelleSasha.com. Keep up with her latest moves on IG: @michellesashawrites and Twitter: @michellesashas
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Another season of Love Is Blind has come to a close, and almost two months later we’re still unpacking the drama that is Clay and AD. The finale, reunion, and post-interviews with Clay and AD after season six of Love Is Blind left millions of people wondering - why couldn’t AD see the signs? Clay told her he had a fear of marriage, his parents experienced infidelity, and he seemed to have many doubts about saying, "I do."
After changing his mind at the altar and hearing AD question why she feels like she’s never enough, I was finished watching. I didn’t need to hear anything else because, at that moment, I realized this wasn’t about Clay; this was about AD feeling inadequate before she ever met Clay.
If I’m honest, I don’t watch much dating television. TikTok keeps me updated with the clips that I need to see in order to be kept in the loop, but it’s difficult for me to watch an entire season of dating TV because seeing Black women settle for less and questioning their beauty is a trigger for me. In many ways, there were points in my life where I was AD, settling and ignoring red flags because I wanted to be loved.
Now, on the other side, it doesn’t feel good to see Black women lower their standards on national television. There have been many hot takes on this couple and who was in the wrong. Did Clay play in AD’s face or did she not listen to the truth of what he told her from day one? Was his reason for joining the show to promote his business and not to find the one?
We’ll never know the truth, but what we can do is learn tactics to better our self-worth. Founder and CEO of The Self Love Organization Denise Francis shared her expertise with xoNecole on what tangible steps to take to improve feelings of worthiness. “Self-love blooms in a garden where self-worth is planted, nourished, and whole. However, when your self-worth is challenged, displaced, or broken, it could be difficult to rebuild," Denise explains.
How To Rebuild Self-Worth
During her self-love coaching sessions, Denise likes to walk her clients through the cornerstones of rebuilding self-worth: grace and self-compassion. To her, self-worth is never lost, it's only displaced, so practicing self-compassion and giving yourself grace is a must. "We tend to place our self-worth in entities and people of ourselves such as relationship status, physical appearance, material possessions, social media followings, what others think of us, and more. Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth.
"Self-worth is not something to be measured by anyone or anything outside of ourselves because we all innately hold value and worth."
"When we place our value into people or things, we tend to feel that we are not enough, worth it, special, or important when relationship status, job titles, friendships, and physical appearances are lost or changed. We then tend to feel lost within ourselves because we’ve placed our value outside of ourselves. Using grace and compassion, you can rebuild your self-worth by returning home to who you are at your core," she concludes.
How To Return Home To Yourself
Denise advises taking a step back and using self-reflection through journaling by answering the following journaling prompts:
First, ask yourself, "What do you tend to attach your self-worth to and why?"
Is it your relationships, your job title, your finances, your appearance, etc.? Why do you think you place so much emphasis on external status? How does it make you feel when you are defining yourself through these entities and/or people outside of yourself?
Then, ask yourself, "Without these things, who am I?"
Once you have your answers, show yourself kindness, remove the shame, and, as Denise says, "Redefine yourself by detaching your value from the things and people you have no control over and no longer serve you. Challenge yourself to define yourself outside of titles and societal values."
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person. You begin to find value in the way you love instead of your relationship status, your compassion instead of your popularity, your drive instead of your income/job title, and your heart instead of your physical appearance," she adds.
"By returning home to your core, you find value in who you are as a person."
"Be intentional with healing your self-worth by leaning into the people and things that nourish your core values. Surround yourself with the people who love and cherish you, they will always remind you just how valuable you truly are."
It all goes back to self-compassion and grace. As Denise explains, leading with those two things as you heal and rebuild your self-worth allows you to reduce negative self-talk that might come up for you. "This weakens thoughts like, 'I am not enough... why am I never enough?'" she shares, "And 'I don't deserve this while strengthening thoughts like 'I deserve better,' 'I am enough,' and 'I am worth it.'"
Denise continues, "Once you return home and remember the irreplaceable person you are, you can rebuild your self-worth by placing it back where it belongs. It belongs to you."
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Featured image by LaylaBird/Getty Images