Gabrielle Union’s stepdaughter Zaya Wade has covered the Dazed Magazine following her legal gender change. Zaya also shared what Gabrielle Union has taught her over the years and she’s grateful to her.
The Daily Mail got more;
Gabrielle Union’s stepdaughter, Zaya Wade, made a milestone by appearing on her very first magazine cover for Dazed Magazine which was published on Wednesday.
The budding model, 15, opened about various topics, such as how her supportive family ’empowers’ her, as well as valuable lessons that the Bring It On actress, 50, has taught her over the years.
Last month in February, Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020, was granted both a legal name and gender change by a Los Angeles County judge.
The teenager is the daughter of professional basketball player, Dwayne Wade, whom he shares with ex-wife, Siohvaughn Funches. Upon tying the knot with the sports star in 2014, Gabrielle became stepmother to Zaya and his other two children, Zaire, 21, and Xavier, as well as welcoming Kaavia, 4, via surrogate in 2018.
During the interview, Zaya was asked about the lessons that her stepmother, Gabrielle, has taught her over the years in regards to ‘beauty and self-love.’
In response, the model revealed, ‘The lesson has changed over time, but more recently it’s that beauty is in yourself,’ and added, ‘It’s about being you and expressing yourself the way you want to.’
She also expressed that the She’s All That star, ‘tries to teach me that beauty standards are arbitrary and that they don’t mean anything. They don’t matter any more; what people thought was the standard is not. And just that being myself is the best technique out there.’
Zaya informed the outlet that she feels ’empowered’ most, ‘when my family surrounds me.’
The budding model revealed during the interview that her parents, who both put on eye-catching displays at the Vanity Fair Oscars party on Sunday, are just one of her ‘fashion inspirations.’
‘My relationship with fashion has really evolved over the years. It started out as, ‘Oh, my parents are super fashionable, and I want to dress up and be as fashionable as them.’
However, as she becomes more involved in the fashion industry, Zaya expressed that she finds, ‘expressing myself and my identity,’ very important. ‘Whether I’m wearing a dress for winter formal or wearing a suit for a shoot, it’s just a way to level up my iconic-ness, I feel.’
Flip to the next page for Zaya Wade’s photos on Dazed Magazine…