Zendaya Speaks Out On Taking Control Of Her Career

Zendaya never fails to impress me. From clothing lines to albums, books to acting roles, the 19-year-old works hard and isn't afraid to let the world know it. Her style is always on fleek, so putting the multi-talented star on any magazine cover is guaranteed to generate interest, and the July 2016 issue of Cosmopolitan is no exception. Looking completely flawless as always, Zendaya's Cosmpolitan interview shows just how much the artist has grown as a business woman since her early Disney Channel days. If you loved her on Shake It Up, then hopefully you've been watching her new show K.C. Undercover, as it's most definitely for you. Zendaya's return to the Disney Channel proves that she's her own boss, and a fearless feminist role model as well.

In July's Cosmopolitan, the 19-year-old is clear about what was needed in order to bring her back to the Channel that helped start her career. She says, "The only way I was going to come back to the Disney Channel was if I was in a position of more power." In taking control of her career, and proving that she knows the direction she should be going in, the Disney Channel star is showing women everywhere that being the boss is a great thing. Zendaya seems to live by the immortal words that Peggy Carter once said, "I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter."

One of the many reasons that the actress and singer is such an awesome role model is that she refuses to let others put her down. From fighting back against negative comments about her appearance to standing up to inappropriate airbrushing, the actor is always ready to speak out against injustice. Her latest interview with Cosmpolitan is no different, with the talented star recalling an on-set incident in which she stood up for herself in an important way. Zendaya says, "I didn't like my hair and makeup one time on a photo shoot, and my publicist told me, 'You should just be happy with it — they haven't had a black girl on the cover since forever.' She's no longer my publicist." That she refuses to accept any sort of racism or put down makes her the exact role model we all need right now.

Zendaya's career is heading in the direction she wants it to, and it's important to the artist that she can make changes when it comes to representation on television. She says, "One thing that is really important to me is diversity on the channel. It's hard as a young person of a different ethnicity or background to look at the TV and not see anyone who looks like you." She is her own boss (she's co-producer as well as the star of K.C. Undercover), and continues to show it's possible to stand up for what you believe in, and make work that you can be proud of.