GROWN-ISH

Yara Shahidi’s Birthday Brought Out Ava Philippe and the Rest of Hollywood’s Famous Teens

She’s really grown-ish now.


Street Style - New York City - February 2018
Photo by Gotham/Getty Images

She really is grown-ish now. Yara Shahidi, activist and star of Black-ish and Grownish, celebrated her 18th birthday last night, and it was apparently was the place to be for Gen Z celebrities. The Harvard-bound Shahidi’s party appeared to have a civic engagement theme, with many guests sporting “I will vote” stickers” and Yara herself wearing a t-shirt printed with a James Baldwin quote.

The famous guests included rapper Kodie Shane, actress/musician/girlfriend of Jaden Smith Odessa Adlon, Reese Witherspoon’s daughter Ava Phillippe, Black-ish co-star Marcus Scribner, and Shahidi’s Grown-ish co-stars Francia Raisa, Emily Arlook, and Chloe and Halle Bailey, aka R&B duo chloexhalle aka Beyoncé’s honorary nieces.

(Did Kaia Gerber’s invitation get lost in the mail or something?)

On Instagram, Shahidi reflected on her year of being 17 in the caption of an adorable throwback picture of herself as a small child, writing, “I think my 17th Year may have been my favorite. Then again, I leave every year thinking it to be my best, only for it to get topped by the next. But this particular revolution around the sun has been full of love, fantastic music, college app anticipation, family, last minute travel, inside jokes with my brothers, therapeutic conversations with my amazing parental unit, realizing I’m grownish, wandering, wondering, figuring out friendships, friends who are like family, the launching of voting initiatives, new mentors, fashūn moments, James Baldwin books, entering new creative spaces, entering new adolescent spaces, and so much more. Eternally grateful for the beauty that I’ve been able to experience amidst a terrifying of political Year. Thank you to all who surround me for demonstrating the beauty that arises from action and for giving me tools so that I may take confident strides ✨ #18”

Not only Is Shahidi headed to Harvard (here’s to hoping she and Malia Obama become best friends), but Freeform recently renewed Grown-ish for a second season, so it looks like 18 will be every bit as great as 17 for this incredible young woman.

Related: Yara Shahidi Reflects on Time Passing the Week After Prom and Before High School Graduation

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PSasha Pivovarova attends Le Bal Surrealiste Dior during Haute Couture Spring Summer 2018 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 22, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Dior)

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Rachel Platten, Yara Shahidi, Aly Raisman, and Iskra Lawrence attend Aerie Celebrates #AerieREAL Role Models Yara Shahidi, Aly Raisman, Rachel Platten and Iskra Lawrence in NYC. Photo courtesy of BFA.

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