Folks, I know you clicked this for a story about the lovely Zendaya — and you're gonna get it! But first I need to tell you a quick story about someone named Me.
On my 21st birthday, my friend challenged me to take 21 shots* of vodka. I got to about 11 before I threw up, tried to take my shirt off at a bar, and had to be fireman-carried by my boyfriend to the nearest gas station, where he fed me a tuna sandwich.
Anyway. Zendaya. She just turned 21 on Friday, and she celebrated her birthday slightly differently.
In a blog post titled, "Why I'm Not Drinking On My 21st Birthday," Zendaya revealed that — gasp — she would not be drinking on her 21st birthday.
"Today I turn 21! Holla!!!" she wrote. "But just because I'm now the legal drinking age, doesn't mean I'm going to start throwing 'em back. I don't plan to start drinking."
And she explained her reasoning for the decision:
My life is too stressful to need help with relaxing by having a cocktail. This industry is way too nuts for me to not be in control of myself and my decisions, so I just don't want to introduce drinking! Plus, I don’t want drinking to become a vice. Why try something if you don’t need it?!
Once again, Zendaya proves that she is smarter, wiser, and more responsible than I could ever hope to be.
Zendaya's Spider-Man co-star, Tom Holland, joked about her announcement in a ~special birthday post~ on Instagram:
All kidding aside, good for Zendaya for living her truth. There's no wrong way to celebrate your 21st birthday*!
Happy 21st, Zendaya.
