Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman is best known for her role on Disney Channel's "Shake It Up" and "K.C. Undercover." However, she is also known for defending herself very professionally and respectfully when someone throws shade her way.
Recently, 19-year-old Zendaya went to Instagram, sharing the news to more than 14 million followers that she was "shocked" to find her "19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated" in her photo in Modeliste Magazine. She handled the situation graciously as she stated why this is a problem to her and to women in general, and why she won't stand for it.
Zendaya went to Instagram showing the unedited photo alongside the edited one, with a paragraph caption where she elaborated why she does not stand for manipulation. She says that anyone who knows her, knows "I stand for honest and pure self love." She goes on to say that these are the type of things that create false standards of beauty.
In response to Zendaya's callout, Modeliste Magazine took a surprising step. In a letter posted online Thursday, Editor-in-Chief Amy McCabe said she was pulling the magazine to have the original images restored. Zendaya thanked the magazine for pulling down the images and fixing the issue.
The retouched image of Zendaya isn't just about making a small woman appear to be smaller, but also about subjecting a healthy human being to mainstream beauty principles. Essentially, when women are photoshopped to look like someone they aren't, the photos tell other women that if they do not look like her, there is something wrong with them. This is something that has been going on for years and is not true. Everyone comes in different shapes, sizes and shades, and should be wholeheartedly proud of what they look like despite what the media glorifies as "real beauty."
I don't mean to label Zendaya a feminist (I don't know if she identifies herself as one), but when it comes to defending herself, her actions are pretty feminist to me. With women and men often confusing the real meaning of beauty with what is put out there by the media, there needs to be more role models like Zendaya herself. These type of role models remind young girls that ultimately beauty comes from within and no one should be ashamed of their looks.
On the left is the altered image of Zendaya, and to the right is the untouched photo.
Courtesy of Zendaya's Instagram account
This is what Zendaya captioned her alongside photos: "Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Anyone who knows who I am knows I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic (right side) and I love it😍😘 Thank you @modelistemagazine for pulling down the images and fixing this retouch issue."
Weird to think that magazines haven't caught up with Drake's obsession with thick girls, right? Anyway, remember to speak out if you do not agree with something you see, your opinion matters. Zendaya's opinion is appreciated and serves as a great example of an actual female role model taking the stance on what she believes in.
