‍

Zendaya’s ascent from Disney teen idol to one of HBO’s most successful actors and producers has been rapid and remarkable, but the secret of the Euphoria star’s success is simple; she’s worked extremely hard to overcome her natural shyness and anxiety, and in the process has become an effortlessly cool, grounded and relatable icon for a generation who have grown up alongside her. She’s also demonstrated a remarkable ability to defuse social media controversy and even turn it to her advantage, an invaluable skill in the modern age and one which bolsters her wholesome reputation as an egoless True Superhero, leading her many followers by example. 

‍

‍

The shy student 

Zendaya was born Zendaya Coleman in Oakland, California in 1996. Both of her parents were teachers; her mother, Claire Stoermer, is of German/Scottish ancestry while her father, Kazembe Coleman, is African-American. At first neither of them knew what to do with young Zendaya, who grew up with crippling shyness and anxiety issues from a very early age, even being made to retake her first year of kindergarten as a consequence of her fear of asking her teacher for help. Her parents tried everything they could to bring Zendaya out of her shell, even attending seminars on how to encourage shy children, and eventually they hit upon a highly effective approach; they enrolled Zendaya in as many clubs, classes, and activities as they could find, telling her that if she didn’t enjoy them she wouldn’t have to go back but she had to try them.

‍

‍

This form of exposure therapy was extremely successful and, before long, young Zendaya was brimming with confidence and discovering many talents as she excelled at dance and singing classes. She also developed a fascination with acting and actors, spending as much time as possible with her mother at her summer job at the California Shakespeare Theater, where she was the house manager. Meanwhile, her father was also working at several jobs in order to put her through a private stage school and take her to auditions in Los Angeles. Zendaya has spoken of the efforts she and her father went to to keep travel costs down, searching for the best deals online, and frequently opting to simply drive the 700-mile round trip. Eventually, the hard work paid off with Zendaya landing a major role in the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up when she was just 13. Before long, she was releasing pop singles and appearing in movies and Disney cast her in her own show, the hugely popular KC Undercover; by the time she was 16 her fame was such that she became the youngest-ever contestant on Dancing With The Stars, finishing as a runner-up in a narrow finale. 

‍

The dreadlocks controversy

Zendaya’s transition from teen idol to modern celebrity was an unusual one, kick-started by an unpleasant incident in what should have been a triumphant moment for the young star. She was invited to attend the 2015 Oscars ceremony, and chose to wear a simple ivory Vivienne Westwood gown while sporting long, thick dreadlocks. The look drew fulsome praise from most observers, with Vogue describing her as “this Academy Award’s breakout style star” and “one part Lisa Bonet, one part Venus de Milo”, but on the E! News show Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic took a different line, saying “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil… and weed.”

‍

‍

The comment reverberated through social media, with Rancic being decried as racist and receiving death threats. It was an incredibly difficult situation for a young woman to navigate but Zendaya’s response was flawless, declining the role of victim while reinforcing the positive message that she had originally intended to send with her appearance. Hours after the controversy broke, Zendaya took to Instagram and posted a lengthy response, including the following: “To say that an 18-year-old young woman with locs must smell of patchouli oil or ‘weed’ is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive. I don’t usually feel the need to respond to negative things but certain remarks cannot go unchecked. I’ll have you know my father, brother, best childhood friend, and little cousins all have locs... There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair. My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough. To me, locs are a symbol of strength and beauty, almost like a lion’s mane”.

‍

It’s a remarkable rebuttal for several reasons; it appears to have been carefully composed but contains typos, suggesting it was written by Zendaya herself and not by a committee of PR advisors, and it carefully avoids naming Rancic who, it was later revealed, had been reading from a script. The footage had been edited to remove some context which may have made the segment seem less divisive. Nonetheless, Rancic swiftly made a full public apology and the situation was defused, providing an object lesson for those in the public eye on how to handle personal attacks in a dignified manner and even gain a benefit while doing so. Zendaya’s articulate and honest response drew praise from far and wide and greatly increased her celebrity as a consequence; before the year was out, Mattel had created a custom Zendaya Barbie, complete with dreadlocks, prompting Zendaya to respond: “When I was little I couldn't find a Barbie that looked like me, my… how times have changed!”  

‍

‍

Rising above the fray

It is easy for a carefully managed PR response to seem contrived, but if there was any lingering doubt over Zendaya’s remarkably deft handling of the patchouli oil controversy, it was soon dispelled by her ongoing display of good-natured charm. As her career has progressed, the one factor that pundits highlight more than any other is just how effortless she appears to be in the spotlight and this is something that is largely attributable to a remarkable lack of ego on the young star’s part. That is not to say that there has been no effort expended, though, as she told Pharrell Williams on his OTHERtone podcast: “A few years ago I had to teach myself how to engage with people, because I would go places like events and stuff, and I'd be so quiet I think people thought I was cold because I just was too nervous to talk to people. I had to step outside my comfort zone and ask people questions, say hello, have a conversation.” Much like when she was a child, Zendaya is still forcing herself into unfamiliar and even uncomfortable situations in order to overcome her natural shyness and anxiety, and that willingness to engage with others despite her own awkwardness goes a long way to creating the appearance of effortless, egoless cool that she is renowned for. 

‍

‍

Consequently, Zendaya’s career isn’t just progressing, it’s flourishing. She’s adored by millions of fans, with over 150m followers on Instagram as of 2022, and her acting career goes from strength to strength. She’s now become the youngest-ever woman to win an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy twice for her work in the first two seasons of HBO’s Euphoria and, as an Executive Producer on the show, she is also the youngest woman to be nominated for an Outstanding Drama Series Emmy. Given her character’s nature in Euphoria, in which she plays a bisexual high school student addicted to prescription drugs, it should be surprising that her celebrity and controversial role have not led to more social media confrontations but Zendaya has managed the remarkable trick of elevating herself above the fray, not by being haughty, but by being grounded