FEATURE:
Feminist Icons
PHOTO CREDIT: Xavier Dolan for ELLE
Yara Shahidi from her acting work and credits like Black-ish (2014–2022) and its spin-off series, Grown-ish (2018–2024). She has also appeared in the film, The Sun Is Also a Star. In 2023, she starred in Peter Pan & Wendy as Timkerbell. She also was an executive producer on and star of the romantic comedy-drama, Sitting in Bars with Cake. Go and follow her on Instagram. I am including her in Feminist Icons as she is someone who is an activist that has used her platform to advocate for issues like voting rights, BIPOC rights, and the Black Lives Matter movement. Shahidi actively encouraged young people, especially girls, to become politically engaged. I am going to bring in a few interviews with this amazing activist and role model. Heading back to 2017, for W Magazine, Yara Shahidi discussed her relationship with former First Lady Michelle Obama, female empowerment, and Beyoncé’s Pregnancy:
“It started one fateful day,” said actress Yara Shahidi on a recent Friday in March. “I was going to a Beyoncé concert and wearing Ivy Park.” Like all good stories, no?
A fan of Beyoncé (naturally), Ivy Park (ditto), and women’s empowerment (same), Shahidi met the executive team behind Beyoncé’s athleisure label at that concert. They soon recruited her to appear in the latest campaign for Ivy Park, a series of images also starring SZA, Selah Marley, model Sophie Koella, Beyoncé herself and protégées Chloe and Halle Bailey—“my BFFs,” Shahidi said of the sisters, who had just wrapped up their European tour.
“It’s pretty cool to have friends where you can say that: Oh, yeah, they finished their Europe tour,” Shahidi said. “We had to take a moment mid-shoot to just hug it out.”
When we spoke, Shahidi was on a brief break from shooting the third-to-last episode of Black-ish’s third season—and she was about to begin shooting the pilot for the rumored spinoff series featuring her character, Zoey Johnson. While the initial buzz around that spinoff indicated it would follow Zoey’s escapades at college, Shahidi noted the pilot merely begins to plant the idea that Zoey will pursue higher education. (“I can’t give away too much detail,” she told me.)
It had been just more than a month since the campaign debuted at the end of January. Ivy Park Spring 2017 features exclusively women of color and emphasizes the physical and emotional strength of its stars. They’re depicted in their preferred workout environments, and Shahidi gave an interview accompanying the campaign in which she described the balancing, centering dimensions of her karate practice.
“I’ve gotten a lot of questions about if it’s scary to be on a public platform given the current administration and given that I’m a black Iranian,” Shahidi told me, referencing the travel and immigration ban to six predominantly Muslim countries, including Iran. Shahidi’s father is Iranian, and members of her extended family still reside there. “I say that to say, companies that are still supporting individuality—that are still supporting self-empowerment—are so crucial.”
For Shahidi, who made her screen debut in Entourage on television and Imagine That on the big screen nearly a decade ago, her on-camera work and activism have long been intertwined.
“If you look at the history of art and fashion, it’s always been political. It’s always been pushing boundaries,” she said. Last year, she founded the mentoring organization Yara’s Club with the support of the Young Women’s Leadership Network; she said she has also been educating herself on local elections and grassroots campaigns: “Midterms will come up and there will be so many of us that can vote,” she said. “It’s more important, too, to not just vote during midterms, but if you’re of voting age—or even if you’re not of voting age, like I am—there are ways to make changes and be involved, versus this feeling of helplessness because we don’t have any political sway”.
I want to move to an article from 2018, where we learn more about Yara Shahidi’s powerful role as a policy-adjacent leader. They highlight how she has used her platform for “feminist and self-empowerment activism. Focused on challenging eminent social issues such as structural racism, sexism and classism, Shahidi encourages young people to become more politically engaged”:
“One of the most notable contributions of Shahidi’s philanthropy is her partnership with Young Women’s Leadership Network (YWLN) to create Yara’s Club, an online mentorship-based program inspired to “...empower youth to defeat poverty through education.” She also founded an initiative known as Eighteen x ‘18, which focuses on increasing voter turnout for the upcoming midterm elections in November by marketing politics towards younger generations.
Shahidi’s activism inspired former First Lady Michelle Obama to write her a letter of recommendation for Harvard University. She also had the honor of interviewing Hillary Clinton forTeen Voguelast year. Recently, Shahidi made headlines for being supported by Oprah Winfrey, whom she was interviewed by for Super Soul Conversations, to perhaps become the future president of the United States.
In an interview with Vogue, Shahidi stated, “My dharma, my purpose, is not to live in a self-centered world; to feel like one day I can look back and feel like what I did mattered.” In her acceptance speech for an EssenceGeneration Next Award in 2016, she perfectly summarized the influence of women leaders by stating, “It is my belief that there is an unspoken poetry of how the women in this room move through the world, not only as artists or creators, but as revolutions and revolutionaries…”.
Shahidi is a young, empowering example of true dedication to current leading matters for activism. Along with women in the public service, policy-adjacent supporters and political influencers like her play a seemingly essential role in captivating the next generation to join a social movement they believe in. She is, truly, a role model for those who wish to be part of an inclusive narrative inspired to overlook differences and instead unite humanity back together to create direct change in policy”.
I will end this feature soon. Before that, I want to look back to 2023. Yara Shahidi, when she appeared in Peter Pan & Wendy, became the first Black woman to play Tinkerbell. A huge move when it came to representation on the big screen, it is not always met with applause. Many people accusing films of being ‘woke’. The same sort of vitriol that Halle Bailey reived when she played The Little Mermaid in the 2023 film. However, these are important castings that are long-overdue. It is a shame that there is racism levied at these actresses when these films come out. Yara Shahidi was amazing in Peter Pan & Wendy and inspired so many girls around the world. For this feature, Shahidi spoke with a nine-year-old fan, Isla:
“During the interview, Yara Shahidi opened up about her views on feminism, emphasizing that it is about celebrating every aspect of oneself, including the imperfections that make us human.
She also shared her passion for empowering young girls to speak up and make their voices heard, highlighting the importance of providing them with the space and opportunities to do so. According to Yara, even simple actions like asking for their opinions can help train girls to recognize the value of their perspectives. Finally, she spoke about believing in oneself and chasing one's dreams, acknowledging that it is a journey with ups and downs, but emphasizing the importance of understanding that every person is worthy of being in any space they occupy, regardless of their level of confidence.
Isla's mum, Charlotte, expressed how much the moment meant to her daughter:
"Getting invited to interview Yara was one of the most special moments of Isla's life and it was such an amazing experience as a mother to see Isla involved with. Isla got to ask such important questions about the significant of following your dreams, how to get your voice heard and being inspired by your role models to never give up and believe in yourself.
According to Isla's mother, Charlotte, the phone call informing them that Yara had invited them to the premiere that evening was the most thrilling phone call. Isla had interviewed Yara earlier, and the actress had been so impressed that she invited Isla to attend the premiere of "Peter Pan and Wendy." Charlotte was overjoyed to see her daughter's excitement and realize that others had recognized how special she was and wanted to provide her with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Isla has had a difficult few years," Charlotte continued. "But she has faced these difficulties with such maturity and consideration for me. She’s such a kind and loving girl; she truly deserved to see what you can achieve if you believe in yourself."
"Attending the premiere with all the other actors and press was surreal. Yara and her team made such a fuss of Isla and she has not stopped talking about this experience.
Her confidence to follow her dreams and be herself has grown, it’s been such a wonderful thing to be part of. Isla is passionate, like me, about equality, feminism and empowering young girls. Isla could see how important self-belief and dreams are and now knows she can achieve hers.
"Getting the chance to ask Yara how it felt to be the first Black woman cast as Tinkerbell was also a moment we will always be proud of. Isla was able to see a young woman who represents her ethnicity stand proud and tell her how special she is and what it feels like to get to where she has.”
At The Female Lead, we strongly believe that young girls should be exposed to positive role models who inspire and empower them to believe in themselves and their dreams. As we have seen through Isla's experience, meeting a role model can be a life-changing moment that gives young people the confidence and self-belief to achieve their full potential. By providing access to stories of female leaders, innovators, and trailblazers, we hope to encourage the next generation of young girls to follow in their footsteps and make a positive impact in the world. We are proud to be part of a movement that supports young girls in achieving their goals and realizing their full potential”.
This is someone who will change society and policies. Away from being a hugely talented actor – whose biggest role and breakthrough appearances lie ahead – and a style icon, she is somebody who is this awe-inspiring activist and campaigner. In her mid-twenties, we are going to see her make huge changes in the world in the coming years and decades. A spokesperson for the young generation, not just in terms of social activism, gender equality and women’s (and girls’) rights, she is also a political activist. Someone who is endlessly impressive. This from Business of Fashion provides some illuminating background of Yara Shahidi:
“Among her generation Shahidi is known as an activist for feminism and STEM awareness, passions that spawned early and may be partly hark back to her paternal grandfather who spent time with the Black Panthers in their heyday. Shahidi’s father is a cinematographer and photographer, who had a stint as Prince’s personal photographer. Inn high-school she started Yara’s Club, a partnership with the Young Women’s Leadership Network, which provides online mentorship with the goal of ending poverty through education. For her birthday iIn 2018, the activist launched Eighteen x 18, a national initiative that encourages civic engagement and voting from young people. In 2018, Shahidi enrolled in Harvard intending to double major in sociology and African-American studies. She was supported by a recommendation by former first lady, Michelle Obama, commending Shahidi on her efforts to effect social change.
In 2016 Shahidi signed with Women Management, a New York-based agency, and she has since become known as a Gen-Z style icon for her red-carpet choices, styled by Jason Bolden , and her wardrobe as Zoey Johnson in “Black-ish,” working with costume designer Michelle Cole. Shahadi has also graced the covers of multiple notable titles, including Harper’s Bazaar Araba, Porter Magazine, Elle UK and became a US Ambassador for Chanel. She has also graced the cover of the Summer 2019 issue of Porter and has modelled for Beyoncé’s Ivy Park. The rising star is set to star in Stan Lee’s Audible drama “A Trick of Light”, as one of the platform’s exclusive audio tales”.
I am going to leave things there. At a time of Donald Trump’s tyranny in the U.S., Yara Shahidi’s voice and activism is even more important. With women’s rights and body autonomy being taken away, and there being this rise in misogyny and violence against women around the world, she is someone whose voice and platform is so hugely crucial. I would advise people to do a lot of further reading and investigation. Yara Shahidi appearing on Season 2 of the Women’s Perspective podcast. Check out this interview last year from Harper’s Bazaar. In it, Yara Shahidi talks about finding her feet with fashion. A new Elle interview where she talked about her new podcast, The Optimist Project. This is what she said about the year ahead:
“'I really feel like I've gotten to usher in the new year activated in all the spaces that I love and that bring me joy. I'm driving to a movie set right now, I've just filmed two podcast episodes, my friend just texted me a picture of this Gucci campaign ad being painted in Soho on the corner that I usually stay on, I'm about to celebrate my 25th birthday... I spent New Year's Eve on the beach journalling with my best friend, and the thing I came to was that 2025 is the year of trusting my gut, in all senses of the term. It's time to take probiotics, it's time to lean into intuition”.
I first came across Yara Shahidi through Black-ish. Obviously a fan of her acting, in years since, I learned more about her activism and wider interests. Her passions. If many know her as an actor and style icon, she also has another side as an activist and campaigner. To me, she is a feminist icon who will and has changed lives. I think she will go into politics in years to come. Make enormous changes that impact so many women and girls around the world. Everyone reading this should…
KNOW her name.