zaya wade

Zaya Wade’s Seventeen Magazine Cover: A Confused Narrative

By Marie O’Nealle

Zaya Wade - Seventeen Magazine Cover

Queens, NY -I was a religious reader of Seventeen magazine as a teenager. Like many young girls, I would eagerly flip through its pages for fashion tips, beauty advice, and articles about the struggles and triumphs of growing up as a young woman. Seventeen was a magazine for girls—designed to celebrate femininity, sisterhood, and the experiences unique to being female. So imagine my shock when I stood in the supermarket, glancing at the magazine rack, only to see a boy staring back at me from the cover of Seventeen magazine. I was appalled.

Now that I am a radical feminist, I now see that Seventeen magazine was problematic even back then. It encouraged girls to solely focus their lives on getting a boyfriend, having sex, and getting married, rather than fostering independence, ambition, or self-worth beyond male validation. Looking back, I stopped reading the magazine and I am glad that I did. It is not surprising that this magazine has now bowed down to the trans cult, as it has always pushed messages that were ultimately not in the best interest of young girls.

Zaya Wade, the child of former NBA star Dwyane Wade, recently graced the cover of Seventeen, a publication traditionally aimed at young women. The decision to place Zaya, a biological male who identifies as a female, on the cover is yet another example of how media is prioritizing political agendas over clarity and truth.

Zaya, still in his teenage years, has become a poster child for gender identity discussions, yet his personal journey only seems to highlight the contradictions within this movement. He now reportedly dates a girl who identifies as a boy—raising serious questions about what he truly believes about gender. If he is attracted to someone who identifies as a boy, does that not contradict his own claim of being a girl? Essentially, he is heterosexual and the mental gymnastics required to make sense of these dynamics only emphasize the confusion that is being reinforced rather than resolved.

At the heart of this issue is the reality of sex. No amount of identity shifts, pronoun changes, or medical interventions can alter the biological truth that males and females are fundamentally different. This distinction exists at the chromosomal level, determining everything from reproductive function to physical development. The current movement seeks to erase these undeniable facts in favor of subjective feelings, but biology does not bend to emotions or social trends. It remains a scientific and observable truth.

Rather than embracing this reality, society is increasingly pushing an agenda that dismisses basic biological facts in favor of ideological narratives. This agenda seeks to confuse young people, encouraging them to believe that sex is something that can be altered at will. It ignores the long-term consequences of transitioning, many of which are irreversible and come with significant health risks, including sterilization, hormonal imbalances, and psychological distress. Instead of offering support rooted in scientific reality, this movement prioritizes affirmation at any cost, even when it leads to harm.

The most disturbing part of this agenda is how it has led to the erasure of safe spaces for women and girls. This is not just about magazine covers; it extends to locker rooms, bathrooms, women’s sports, and other areas designed to be female-only. Girls are being forced to share spaces with biological males—many of whom are not genuinely experiencing gender dysphoria but are instead using self-identification as a tool to gain access to female-only environments. It is no secret that perverted boys and men have taken advantage of these policies to invade spaces meant to protect women and girls, and the media’s relentless push of this ideology only worsens the situation.

Publications like Seventeen should be places where young girls can celebrate being girls without feeling like their experiences are being overshadowed or erased. This magazine was not created for boys, and it certainly was not meant to cater to an ideology that denies the reality of womanhood.

The media, instead of encouraging young people to take time in understanding themselves, rushes to place impressionable teenagers like Zaya on a pedestal. Rather than allowing room for personal growth and genuine introspection, he is being celebrated as an icon before he has even reached adulthood. The rush to affirm and champion identity changes in minors does not leave space for questioning or reassessment, and it discourages discussions about whether these transitions are in the best long-term interest of the individuals involved.

Publications like Seventeen should ask themselves whether they are truly serving their audience or merely pushing a fashionable narrative. Zaya’s cover moment is less about genuine representation and more about reinforcing an ideology that thrives on contradictions and ambiguity. Instead of encouraging young people to embrace a clear sense of self, it promotes confusion, ensuring that the next generation remains uncertain about fundamental truths. If this continues, society will find itself in a position where objective reality is disregarded in favor of personal delusions, setting a dangerous precedent for future generations.