2019-12-01_Harper__x27_s_Bazaar_Australia_UserUpload.Net

(Axel Boer) #1
ADRIENNE

RAQUEL.

STYLED

BY

CASSIE

ANDERSON.

BEAUTY

EDITOR:

JESSICA

MATLIN.

HAIR

BY

NAI’VASHA;

MAKEUP BY EMILY CHENG; MANICURE BY GRACIE J FOR THE EDITORIAL NAIL. SEE BUYLINES FOR STOCKISTS

ARASHAHIDIshimmers.Herfingernailsare
painteda paleiridescencethatcatchesthelight
of thefixturesoverheadas shegesticulatesexuber-
antlywhileexplainingtheimportanceof“inten-
tional intersectionality”. But it goes beyond
makeup—she seemstoglow fromtheinside.
We’reinNewYork’sCrosbyBarona rainyafter-
-year-oldactorhasjustcomefroma luncheonat
ntedanawardto TarajiP. Henson.
Yaraenteredtheculturallexiconat14,playingZoeyJohnson
ontheUSsitcomBlack-ish, butshecementedherpositionthere
offscreenbyspeakingoutonissuesofsocialjustice.Thefirstword
usedtodescribeheris asoften‘activist’as‘actor’,andnolessan
eminencethanOprahWinfreyhassaidshehopessheis stillalive
whenYarabecomesUSpresident,because“thatis goingto happen
if shewantsit to happen”.(Forherpart, Yarasaysshe would
prefertoremain“policyadjacent”.) Forher18th birthdayshe
hosteda votingparty,witha registrationbooth,andlauncheda
nationalinitiativecalledEighteenx 18togalvaniseyoungpeople
tovote,a projectshe continues tofocuson. “Withmidterms
coming up it was, of course, our priority,” shesays.“But now it’s


about impressing upon people that
there’snosuchthingas anoffyear.”
That’sastrueforYaraherselfasit is
foranyoneelse.Inadditiontostarring
inherownspin-offseries,Grown-ish,
which follows Zoey as she navigates
university life, Yara is a student at
Harvard(MichelleObamawrotehera
recommendationletter),withplansto
study anthropology, history and
economics.Herfirststarringfilmrole,
anadaptationoftheYAnovelTheSun
Is Alsoa Star, is outnow,andwithher
family she has started a production
company,SeventhSun.
Yara’s engagement with her 4.1
millionInstagramand416,000Twitter
followersis a roadmapforhowtobea
multifaceted member of Generation
Z,one whopushes back against the
ideathatyoumustbeeitherjoyfuland
silly or socially engaged. “I can say,
‘Myfriendslookgreattoday,let’stake
a picture,’and be equally concerned
with issues globally,” she says. Her
Instagram pendulum swings from a
messageofsolidaritywiththevictims
oftheChristchurchmosqueshootings
toa videoofherselfdancingtoLizzo
whileonholidayinAnguilla.“There’s
powerinjustdisplayingjoy,”Yarasays.

Activistwithoutborders
She credits her civic engagement to
growing up “in a humanitarian
family”. Born in Minneapolis as the
daughterofanIranianfather,Afshin,
and an African-American mother,
Keri,Yarasaysherpassion forhistory comesfromher paternal
grandfather,andherunderstandingofthepowerofactivismfrom
hermaternalgrandfather,whospenttimewiththeBlackPanthers.
“Becauseofmyfamily’sbackground,I understandhowintercon-
nectedculturesare,”shesays.“Traditionsmaybedifferent,butin
termsofsharedvaluesthey’retranscontinental.”Shespeakswith
an almost poetic cadence and seems not to breathe between
sentences,yetsomehowsheis neverflustered,issuinga rapid-fire
eloquence instead. “My love of history, or even being socially
engaged, stems from having, firsthand, people to care about
aroundtheglobeandata youngageexpandingmycommunity
beyondthesefakebordersweputoneachother,”shesays.
The Shahidis moved from Minneapolis to a suburb of Los
AngeleswhenYarawasfour.Bothofheryoungerbrothersarealso
actors,andtheirfatheris a cinematographerand photographer
whofora timeworkedas Prince’spersonalphotographer.It wasn’t
untilYarawasaskedtoauditionforEddieMurphy’sImagineThat
a thirdtime(thefirsttwotimesshesaid“nothankyou”)thatshe
madetheleaptoindependentchildactor.Inthemeantimeshe
hadskippedYear 1 becauseshewas alreadyreadingand doing
maths at a more advanced level. (The school wanted her to skip to

Hollywood’s
mostpromising
youngtalent,
YaraShahidi,
isrefreshingly
candidwhenit
comestoher
activism.
By Chloe Malle

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