TEEN icons: Amandla Stenberg by JOSH OLINS

the [FEEL-GOOD] series…Just in time for back to school, let’s talk with the teens.  Young ICON Amandla Stenberg, (The Hunger Games; Everything, Everything) is photographed by Josh Olins in Teen Vogue’s Icons issue.  The young beauty, the fashionable tumblr phenom and romantic leading lady opens up to artist Janelle Monáe about art and joy in a world that would prefer they remain silent.

What it’s like to become a young icon, touching on topics of racisim, the presidential election, and a bit of teen-flavored chatter.

” At 18, Amandla Stenberg exerts a rare, discerning on-screen force that is changing the movie-making industry from the inside out and bringing visibility to the unseen through her work with the Art Hoe Collective.”

A few bits of the chat:

On pronouns:

“I have felt at times that she/her pronouns weren’t entirely fitting, but I’ve never felt uncomfortable with them. It’s more important for me to open up that conversation around pronouns and how gender itself is a construct that doesn’t make much sense in our society.”

On taking her role in Everything, Everything and the importance of representation in film:

“I’d never seen a story like this made for an interracial couple. I’m not someone who generally has a pop or mainstream sensibility, but I see the incredible power of infiltrating these larger movies that show a lot of people who we are and how diverse and beautiful our community is. I thought it would be really powerful to see a black girl [lead] character like Maddy who is joyous and creative and dimensional specifically marketed to teenagers and young adults. We don’t always get to see black women carrying that energy.”

On giving up her smartphone to preserve mental health…

“Amid all of the chaos in the world right now, it’s so important that everyone actively works to preserve their mental health so that we’re able to heal and create change. I got rid of my iPhone, and that was essential in preserving my mental health. Now I have a flip phone that I just use to talk to people and hear their actual voices. I’m worried about the mental health effects of smartphones and social media on kids because it is one large social experiment that we don’t know the outcome of. I see a lot of people around my age who are really unhappy or experiencing disconnection from reality because they base so much of their existence on the Internet and on their interactions with people they might not even know. It creates such unreal expectations for what we think our lives should be.

more at Teen Vogue
on newstands August 22.

CREDITS

Photographer: Josh Olins

Fashion Editor: Emilie Kareh

Hair: Tomo Jidai

Makeup: Sally Branka

Manicure: Michina Koide

Fashion Credits:

Cover photo: Paco Rabanne top. Pinko skirt.
Photo 1: Dolls Kill sweater. Shinola hoop earrings. Leigh Miller drop earring.
Photo 2: Versus Versace sweater. Paco Rabanne skirt. Charlotte Chesnais ring. We Love Colors tights. Sies Marjan shoes.
Photo 3: Nina Ricci dress. Just Cavalli belt. We Love Colors tights.
Photo 4: Miu Miu dress. Miu Miu hat. Each x Other sweater.
Photo 5: Courrèges dress. 525 America top (tied around waist). A-morir sunglasses. Miu Miu belt. Fogal of Switzerland tights. SiesMarjan shoes.

TEEN icons: Amandla Stenberg by JOSH OLINS for Teen Vogue // FDMLOVES commentary by Brigitte Segura.

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