Skip to main content

Daily Inspiration Quote by Zendaya

"I just want to encourage people to be who they are"

About this Quote

Zendaya’s “I just want to encourage people to be who they are” sounds almost disarmingly simple, which is exactly why it lands. Coming from an actress whose brand has been built in public since her Disney years, the line doubles as both an aspiration and a quiet counterpunch to an industry that profits off polishing people into palatable types. She’s not giving a manifesto; she’s offering permission. The power is in the modesty: “just” shrinks the statement so it feels non-threatening, while “encourage” frames identity as something that can be supported rather than judged. It’s gentle language with a sharp edge.

The subtext is about visibility and safety. For young fans watching someone navigate fame, race, body scrutiny, and relentless aesthetic policing, “be who they are” isn’t an abstract self-help slogan. It’s a response to the algorithmic reality that rewards conformity, and to a celebrity economy that turns authenticity into a marketing strategy. Zendaya sits in a rare position where she can model controlled vulnerability: relatable enough to be believable, disciplined enough to survive. That tension makes her encouragement feel earned rather than performative.

Context matters: she’s become a style icon and prestige-TV star while keeping a relatively scandal-free, measured public persona. The quote functions as a soft leadership statement for a generation trained to curate itself. It’s not radical in content; it’s radical in the implied refusal to treat selfhood as a trend cycle.

Quote Details

TopicConfidence
SourceInterview with The Hollywood Reporter (2017)
Cite

Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Zendaya. (2026, January 30). I just want to encourage people to be who they are. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-just-want-to-encourage-people-to-be-who-they-are-184664/

Chicago Style
Zendaya. "I just want to encourage people to be who they are." FixQuotes. January 30, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-just-want-to-encourage-people-to-be-who-they-are-184664/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I just want to encourage people to be who they are." FixQuotes, 30 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-just-want-to-encourage-people-to-be-who-they-are-184664/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

More Quotes by Zendaya Add to List
Zendaya on Authenticity: Encouraging People to Be Themselves
Click to enlarge Portrait | Landscape

About the Author

Zendaya

Zendaya (born September 1, 1996) is a Actress from USA.

34 more quotes available

View Profile

Similar Quotes

Hal Holbrook, Actor
Enya, Musician
Salman Rushdie, Novelist
Sammy Hagar, Musician