Yara Shahidi , who plays Zoey on Black-ish, is Seventeen magazine’s cover model their November/December issue. You can see a few more shots here. That first shot on the link is stunning . Yara is, conveniently for Seventeen, 17 years old and was recently admitted to Harvard. She’s opted to defer a year due to the launch of her spin-off, Grown-ish that will follow Zoey into college. The magazine comes out next week but they’ve released some advance quotes. She’s beautifully spoken, and much more grounded than I was at 17.

On Self-Image “I feel like my curls have always been a part of who I am. They are a very real representation of the mix of my two cultures. When you’re a part of a minority of any kind, you’re told not to take up much space, but my hair does that, so there’s nothing I can do except take up the space with it. It gives me confidence…I love the fact that my hair can be intimidating at times.”
 
On Her Future “I’m enjoying time as a kid—I’ve learned to appreciate the age that you are, because it disappears. There are perks to being a teen too. It comes with the freedom to explore and the freedom to have a valid opinion about the world—and to evolve it—and have people listen to you.”
 
On Activism “I love history, and activism is so engraved in history. So much had to have happened for me—and everybody—to come into this world. The women’s movement, the immigration movement…whatever it may be. As you learn about these, it’s hard not to be inspired. Our generation is a representation of all the great movements that have come before us. It’s all about paying it forward… What I’m seeing is basically a movement to be your true self. There are no criteria as to what it takes to be involved, protected and cared for.”
 
On Her Love Life “I haven’t dated anybody. My general outlook is if I don’t have time to take a bath on a regular basis, then I don’t have time for another human. I love being busy, and I enjoy where I am at right now.”

[From Seventeen]

Yara’s comment about not taking up space was both spot-on and heart-breaking. I’m going to keep that with me so the next time I’m reacting to someone I can ask myself if I’m asking them not to take up too much space. I also think her answer on dating is really smart. She’s not assigning it a value in her world. I don’t really know Yara but I feel like she’s letting the press know she intends to be defined by her accomplishments and not her love life. She told Teen Vogue in 2015 when they asked about dating, “I’m currently dating AP Calculus, but I’m sad our relationship will end this May after the exam.” Good for her.

I also appreciate her correlation between her love of history and activism. Yara has partnered with Always for their #LikeAGirl campaign and she also fights for diversity, women’s rights, children’s health and her latest cause. breast cancer awareness. Her cousin is Nas. On a purely superficial note, her blog is a fun read and I find her stunning in every photo I see of her. I’m new to Black-ish but I plan to give Grown-ish a try. I hope it’s successful… but also allows enough time for Yara to attend real-life college once she ends her deferment.

Photo credit: Seventeen magazine and WENN Photos