Actor and singer Zendaya covers the July 2022 issue of Vogue Italia. The ‘Euphoria’ star, named to the TIME 100 2022 list of the world’s most influential people, reflects on her status as the “portrait of a generation”, writes Jordan Anderson in the Vogue Italia interview.

Zendaya’s ascribed status as “the portrait of a generation” is ironic, according to the cover star, because her acting profession "sometimes makes me feel a little silly, because, after all, it's about making a living pretending to be someone else"

Anderson makes this portrait point more than once in his interview. In fact, it’s his main point made over and over and over again. Note that AOC thinks the world and all of Zendaya, but the cover doesn’t say ‘Zendaya Mania’ for nothing.

The star’s longtime stylist Law Roach, attached now to British Vogue as well as being Zendaya’s personal stylist, chooses all-Italian fashion looks from Del Core — creating a smile because we just dropped Del Core’s resort 2023 collection in the ‘next up queue’ on AOC. We were unfamiliar with the brand, so the universe is speaking!

Add Philosophy Di Lorenzo Serafini, The Attico, Maison Valentino — her stunning, plunging-neck, silver gown worn on the cover to the fashion shoot — and writer Jordan Anderson describes Zendaya as Eartha Kitt, Josephine Baker or Sade —perhaps all rolled up into one, stupendous, super-talent goddess.

Perhaps the young writer is drunk on the predominance of Bulgari “Eden Il Giardino delle Meraviglie” Collection jewels in the fashion shoot. The editorial images behind the new Bulgari collection are so beautiful — jewels and flowers — that we actually posted them leaving out the ambassadors, writing:

Being buried in repose among the blooms — like human butterflies — is the best place for Bulgari high jewelry models and ambassadors in this moment.

Speaking factually and according to Wiki, Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman was born on September 1, 1996, in Oakland, California, to teachers Claire Stoermer and Kazembe Ajamu Coleman. Her father is African-American, with roots in Arkansas; her mother has German and Scottish ancestry.

Highly-influential photographer Elizaveta Porodina [IG] is behind the lens, bringing her familiar style to the images, but also adjusting it so as not to distort the visual magic of the woman who is “jokingly” asked “if writing history is ever something she lays in bed and thinks about.”

AOC always notes the activism, specific causes and philanthropy of the largely women we write about. We’ll issue an activism update on Zendaya to balance the extreme adulation given here to a woman who clearly deserves it.

Many of these TIME 100 leaders like Zendaya are very dedicated to using their star power to helping others and advancing causes. So we will drop in our own update to this Vogue Italia interview in AOC style.

If you are new to us, check out this technique in last week’s story on Imaan Hammam covering Vogue Mexico and Latin America in July. The visuals were sizzling, but AOC went for our own news update of Hammam’s work with ‘She’s the First’ and being the recipient of the organization’s inaugural Powerhouse of the Year Award.