Yara Shahidi is one of the most mutli-faceted, brilliant, and stunning young women that this generation has the opportunity to experience. From top to bottom, Black-ish to Grown-ish, acting to Harvard, Shahidi has remained who she is to the core, exuding the values that her parents instilled in her from birth. She doesn't sway from who she is, she's not into the chaos of Hollywood. And she stands firm to her goals, making her one of this generation's leading vocal ambassadors.
Vogue, who Shahidi has been featured in numerous times, took a trip to her house to learn more about her, via their popular series 73 Questions With..., which has also spotlighted some of our faves like Lizzo, Zendaya, and Michael B. Jordan.
They quizzed her on some of the most pressing questions, such as:
First person you spoke to [today]?
Are you more into lyrics or music?
You've been an actress since 6 weeks old?
Do you believe in 'love at first sight'?
And they even addressed the rumor of whether or not she has a tattoo inspired by Frank Ocean (btw the answer is yes and no, she got some because of him). But what stuck out most, was the question, "How would you define beauty?" She responded with a resounding:
"I try and un-define it, which may sound super broad, but that's the point because everything is to be beautiful."
Which got us to thinking, is she right? I mean, what is beauty really? I couldn't help but to dig in the archives and see how Yara has approached "beauty" with her platform in the past. So here's a list of the ways she has publicly crushed beauty standards throughout her career:
Yara posted a makeup-free selfie where she embraced her blemishes.
Imperfection is beauty and a part of redefining beauty by undefinining it is accepting the skin you're in in all states and all ways. While Yara has been known to stunt on magazine covers and on red carpets with an epic face beat, it doesn't take away from moments where she is makeup-free and experiencing hella blemishes. It might challenge beauty standards, but it's a commitment she is trying to live by.
"I have to actively remind myself to not sweat the details (aka the blemishes) and reframe it as a reminder to make sure I'm taking care of myself."
She made a big 2020 New Year's Resolution.
For the new year, Shahidi posted a picture on her Instagram with the caption:
"We (My hair and I) are taking up more space as we enter 2020."
In the pic, she dons no make up and frizzy hair to match her large golden hoops, making the profound statement that she has arrived as she is, and she's unapologetic AF about it. Siren emojis surrounds her statement, driving the nail in.
Yara partnered with Essie to preach the importance of finding, and being, yourself
In 2018, Shahidi curated a partnership with Essie for National Nail Polish Day. And even then, at a young 18, she used her platform to express the importance of her generation being who they are. She told E! News:
"I've learned to look at beauty as a creative outlet. Use makeup to express yourself rather than to cover yourself. This is why I gravitate towards louder colors — there's that feeling of taking up creative space when you go bold."
Yara removed her mustache on the 'Gram (before the Emmys).
Yara got closer to all of us by uploading a video of her removing her all-too-real lady 'stache for the entire world to see. She hilariously continued to show the actual maintanence it takes to get ready, by following up with a glowing, no-makeup selfie, checking her teeth for food, and rocking braids and a natural look for the virtual show.
Yara posed natural and un-retouched on the cover of 'Harpers Bazaar'.
For the August 2019 cover of Harper's Bazaar, Shahidi opened up about how she's using fashion and beauty to make a difference. She told People:
"True beauty is being unique, experimenting, exploring, sometimes unsettling. True beauty is expansive, is happiness. True beauty is my unibrow! I think we have a tendency to materialize beauty, and connect it with product. You should do whatever makes you feel good, and we're addressing beauty as not something that's even attached to a product, but as something that's attached to this overall feeling of support and confidence which we all get from different things."
Spoken like a true beauty, un-defined.
Are you a member of our insiders squad? Join us in the xoTribe Members Community today!
Featured image by Yara Shahidi/Instagram