Highlights
- Zendaya rose to fame through Disney's Shake It Up and has since become a prominent actress in both film and television, earning critical acclaim for her work in Euphoria.
- Fans have debated Zendaya's attractiveness, with some calling her "mid" and questioning her widespread recognition in Hollywood, sparking discussions about racism and insecurities.
- Zendaya and Tom Holland have a private relationship and, although they are not engaged, they continue to be together and support each other's careers, cherishing the unique bond they share as fellow actors.
Zendaya is one of the most promising actresses of her generation. She's also been called the queen of the internet for serving fans some iconic red-carpet looks and once calling out a magazine for photoshopping her.
Her relationship with Tom Holland is also a popular topic on social media. Just recently, fans thought the Spider-Man actor might have been jealous of Zendaya's intimate scene with two guys in Challengers.
But amid all the hype, many can't help but call the Emmy-winning Euphoria star "overrated." Other Hollywood It girls like Barbie's Margot Robbie and The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey are facing the same criticism.
Netizens have called the three actresses "mid," meaning they're not exactly bad but not that good either. Somewhere in the middle, basically undeserving of the publicity they're getting.
Here's what fans really feel about Zendaya, as well as the truth about her buy-a-house-together level of relationship with Holland.
What Made Zendaya Famous?
Zendaya first rose to fame in 2010 when she was cast as Rocky Blue in Disney's Shake It Up, alongside Bella Thorne — whom she was pitted against. Speaking to Variety's Actors on Actors about that time, the former said: "The thing is, I am [a Disney kid]. And to a degree, I am grateful for that."
She added: "That's where I started, and I learned so much from that experience." In 2016, she entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing MJ alongside Holland. Three years later, she forayed into more mature roles, playing the drug addict Rue Bennett in HBO's hit show, Euphoria.
In 2021, Zendaya starred in Netflix's film, Malcolm & Marie and the indie blockbuster, Dune. The following year, she became the youngest person to win an Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, twice — her first win being in 2020, and both being recognitions for her work in Euphoria.
That should explain her being "over-hyped" in the last few years. Now, she's trending again after the trailer of her upcoming R-Rated movie, Challengers was released. There's also that raunchy scene in Holland's bombed Apple TV+ series, The Crowded Room — which fueled a bunch of crossover memes between the couple.
Why Are Fans Calling Zendaya 'Mid'?
In 2021, at the peak of Zendaya's newfound popularity, someone wrote on Reddit's Unpopular Opinion sub: "Zendaya isn't that hot." They went on to explain that "she's alright, but is she the sexiest woman everyone makes her out to be? Hell no not to me. I'm NOT calling her ugly; she's just alright based on looks."
Many commenters agreed. Fast-forward to 2023, the Zapped alum is being described as "mid," alongside the suddenly-everywhere rapper, Ice Spice.
In a viral comment, someone said: "Not my fault Zendaya is built like a twig with a mid face but Hollywood treats her like a goddess." The "mid"-tagging trend sparked a huge debate online, with people accusing it of being "racist" and a byproduct of TikTok and male insecurity.
"Men love to try humble women especially when they reach a certain point of success," wrote a Redditor. Making sense of the trolls' motives, one stated: "Those people are terminally online and are so consumed by media that they don't realize what an average 'mid' woman actually looks like."
Are Zendaya And Tom Holland Engaged?
Zendaya's love life has also been a subject of interest on social media. For a while now, there were rumors that she and Holland had secretly gotten engaged. But according to reports, they're not in that stage yet but are still happily together.
They were first linked to each other in 2016 when they started working together on their first Spider-Man movie. But from 2019 to 2020, the two started seeing other people. Zendaya dated her Euphoria co-star Jacob Elordi while Holland quarantined with her then-Instagram official girlfriend, British actress Nadia Parkes.
In 2021, Zendaya and Holland were spotted making out in a car in Los Angeles. That year, they practically made it Instagram official when the latter posted a birthday tribute for the former, captioned: "My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays. Gimme a call when your up xxx."
Since then, the pair have been so private about their relationship. In fact, it was Zendaya's mom who squashed the engagement rumors for them by posting a screenshot of clickbait's dictionary definition on her Instagram Story.
While The Greatest Showman actress hasn't been caught wearing an engagement ring, she was seen wearing a signet ring with the cursive engraving, "TH+ZC," multiple times. In July 2023, Holland said he's "lucky" to have Zendaya in his life.
"I'm lucky that I have someone like Zendaya in my life," he told Smartless podcast's Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes. "It's interesting being in a romantic relationship with someone that is in the same boat as you. You can share your experiences and all that sort of stuff. And that's worth its weight in gold."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuobFdm66vv4ytn6Kmm2LHprrDmrCaZZmoerDCxKupmqyVmXw%3D