Yara Shahidi: ‘At 13 years old I felt like I wasn’t ready without makeup’

Though she has been a familiar face on television since she was 13 years old, in Yara Shahidi’s home, the small screen was rarely turned on. “It wasn’t until I started on Black-ish that we started watching TV during the week, but only Wednesdays, when the show was on,” she recalls via video call. The family comedy lasted eight seasons. It received 18 Emmy nominations and seven Golden Globe nominations, and it made Shahidi grow up in front of the cameras. Today she shows that it’s possible to grow up within the industry without falling off course, but only with help: “I’ve had a lot of luck with my family. They’re a guide in my life.”

In Shahidi’s home, the strict rules came along with lessons. Many, especially during the difficult years of adolescence, had to do with beauty: “From an early age my mother was very intentional in teaching me to love my curls and my skin. I always had my family as an example, and as they look like me, I grew up thinking that I was beautiful too.” Until puberty came: “Suddenly all the images around me started to influence me more. I went from having my own style to wanting a dress that everyone else wore. Fortunately that phase didn’t last long, but I remember perfectly going from feeling good about myself and confident to doubting everything and getting nervous about breaking out.”

Shahidi uses the tools she has today to revisit her adolescence. “I was on my school’s debate team, and on the team we all had different origins, everyone Black or Latino and with curly hair. Before a big debate, the girls knew without anyone telling us that we had to straighten our hair for a more professional image.” Becoming part of the most-viewed television series in the United States didn’t help: “At 13 I wore two sets of eyelashes, always blush, lipstick… I felt like I wasn’t ready for the world if I wasn’t wearing makeup. I was really young to be so dependent on makeup. But my parents helped me reconstruct my confidence. Now I understand makeup and taking care of my body as accessories of who I am, complements that I can use to be creative and have fun. There’s less anxiety and nervousness.”

Today, she is a businesswoman. Since 2018, along with her mother, she has produced Grown-ish, a spin-off of the series that made her famous. “It all started because I got really evolved in all the behind-the-scenes. Basically I did the work of a producer without calling it that, until one day the show creator told me, ‘No, what you’re doing is producing.’ So I realized how much I liked it. My mother and I are partners, and we take on projects where we can tell creative stories and build teams. It’s really nice because she’s my best friend and we share values. Grown-ish was the initial contact, and in October our first movie comes out.”

Sitting in Bars with Cake, her debut as a feature film producer, premiered September 8 on Amazon Prime. Shahidi also stars in the story about friendship. Last spring she became Tinkerbell in Peter Pan and Wendy, a new adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic that infuriated reactionaries because of its Black fairy. “When it comes to choosing a new project, I have two things in mind. First, if it’s a film or a series that I would want to see. I want to do fun, creative things, because I’m young. But I also like for it to have values and a purpose. That doesn’t mean that every job has to be activism. Sometimes they’re subtle things like playing with TInkerbell. I loved playing that fantasy that influenced me so much and sharing it with a new generation of kids. The purpose of each project doesn’t have to be obvious, but it should have something I love and that I connect with.”

Changing the images that shape the world is not a small task. That’s why she has donned a golden suit of armor in the latest Jean Paul Gaultier campaign, as the goddess of the Divine fragrance: “I thought it was a way to do something new but aligned with my values, because it’s about embracing everything a woman can be.” When she takes off the corset, she’s a twenty-something who loves life. “The last time I felt divine was in a concert. I love how live music makes me feel. Being with my friends, dancing…it’s absolutely divine!”

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