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When I was 19, I was somewhere twerking, smoking pot, and being an embarrassment to my parents. Only a year shy of 20, Yara Shahidi is on a much different path and it has greatness written all over it.

Not many can say that they've gotten a recommendation letter that was signed, sealed, and delivered by Michelle Obama herself, and this is only one of the few accolades that the young actrivist has racked up since rising to fame, and she has no plans of stopping anytime soon. The Grown-ishstar was recently featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar(proving that untouched beauty is the always best kind) and opened up about the real reason she chooses to keep it conservative when it comes to her wardrobe. She explained:

"By not showing skin, I'm making a statement. My clothes need to have movement. For me, fashion is all about joy."

Yara shared that she carries this spirit of conviction into both her professional and personal life. There's so much injustice in the world that it's impossible to truly conquer it all in one lifetime, but Yara Shahidi says that she's out to start a nationwide revolution one episode at a time. As the daughter of an African-American woman and an immigrant father from Iran, the 19-year-old actress said that she's on a fearless pursuit to ensure change through both her activism and her art and her wardrobe.

Along with topics like colorism, sexual identity, and drugs, Yara's ABC spinoff, Grown-ish, proves that she's not afraid to grab even the most controversial topics by the balls. Her first lead role in a major motion picture earlier this year proved the same when she played one-half of a couple involved in a budding love story in The Sun Is Also a Star. The film also touched on a very important conversation of our time: deportation. In the interview, she said:

"It's not often that we see a story that humanizes immigration for a young audience."

Along with being a kick-ass, immigration policy-fighting, curly-haired superhero, the actress is also the newest face of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, who recently expanded their already wide array of shades. Yara said that she's here for the inclusion and hopes other brands follow suit:

"I love that more brands are doing this. There have been times when I got out of the makeup chair and my skin looked gray. It's why I think every single person of color usually brings their own makeup kit to set."

We unapologetically stan for a cutely covered queen, and Yara is the empress of keeping it casual, classy, and conservative. Read Yara's full interview here!

Featured image by Shutterstock.com

 

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