10 things you didn’t know about Zendaya

American singer and actress Zendaya turned 22 on September 1. We sat down with the Spider-Man and The Greatest Showman star to chat about Disney, feminism and more

1. She is fearless

 “Style-wise, I am fearless. I used to be very afraid until [my stylist] Law [Roach] got into my life. He pushes me to try new things, I push him to try new things, and we inspire each other as we go along. Ever since I was two, my parents sort of stopped telling me what to wear. They let me experiment with clothes, whether I was a hot skipping mess, which I definitely was sometimes, or whether I actually got it together with a cute outfit.

“[My life] has kind of been about fashion and experimenting and trying things has made me less afraid of what other people think of me. I just do whatever the heck I want to do. I’m ready to be out there and be different and take fashion risks.”

2. Her dad is her style icon

“I look up to people who like to do their own thing, people who march to the beat of their own drum, who dress for themselves and just don’t care. I am inspired by those kind of people. My dad is my style icon. Madonna is my style icon. And Erykah Badu.”

3. She embraces different sides of herself