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Zendaya has arguably become one of the biggest global stars in recent years and has received significant acclaim for her performances. The former child star now has a fandom that stretches across the globe. But looking back, it seems that she has been wise from a very young age, perhaps one of the reasons she has been able to witness such growth in her career.
Looking back at a 2015 interview with Nylon, it can be seen that Zendaya had some bold opinions from an early age. The then 18-year-old actress spoke about cultural appropriation and gave an important take on the subject, something that remains relevant even today.
When asked about it, she spoke about how one can remain culturally sensitive while borrowing from other cultures.
"You can go about it as cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation. You have to be very careful. Some things are really sacred and important to other cultures, so you have to be aware, politically, about those things before you just adopt them. In order to appreciate something, you have to know about it and understand," she said.
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Zendaya further elaborated on the topic.
"You don't just wear something just to wear it—you have to understand the history behind it. I urge people to take the extra step of knowledge and learn about things. I'm someone who feels uncomfortable with things unless I know [about them]. I'm not going to try something unless I've taken the time and effort to learn about it. I just think with the Internet and the resources we have, you should do a little research," she explained.
In this interview, Zendaya further discussed how she learned about different cultures and how it was indeed possible for others to do the same.
"It's a learning process" — Zendaya on knowing about different cultures
Cultures and cultural appropriation often become difficult topics to talk about, primarily because of the lack of awareness surrounding them.
Zendaya spoke about her take on cultures and backgrounds in the interview, revealing that knowing about others' cultures was a learning process and needed active participation, using her own experience learning this as an example.
"It's a learning process. I don't know everything about every culture and every current event, but you grow and you learn. I just went to Africa and I learned so much about things I had no idea about or wasn't aware of," she said.
She further encouraged others to do the same, saying it could reduce the wall that separated different cultures, at least psychologically.
"It was a very interesting experience and I got to learn a lot about where I'm from. It's a process for everyone and now with social media, I suggest that people try to become more aware and learn. I'm learning just like everybody else," she added.
The experiences that Zendaya talked about were necessary experiences that others should also try and engage in, especially now that access to knowledge isn't as limited.
Shortly before this interview, the actress was in the middle of a controversy after calling out Giuliana Rancic's on-air comments about her hair during the Oscars. She even spoke extensively about it on her Instagram.
Since the time of this interview, Zendaya has been in the heart of several high-profile projects like Dune and The Challengers, among many others. She is also set to appear in The Odyssey, Shrek 5, and The Drama, which are all under production right now.
