Zendaya Responds to Giuliana Rancic's Second Apology, and India.Arie Pens Open Letter

Zendaya Responds to Giuliana Rancic's Second Apology, and India. Arie Pens Open Letter (photo courtesy of Flickr- Viva Vivianista under CC BY 2.0 and Instagram)

Today, Zendaya Coleman released her response on social media to Giuliana Rancic's heartfelt video apology that aired yesterday. Giuliana's video apology was in addition to the one on Twitter. The host stated that she did not intend to offend anyone, but realizes that it is not about her intent; it is about the result. Rancic said she learned it is important not to perpetuate stereotypes. She said, "...this incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of cliches and stereotypes and how much damage they can do. Rancic continued by saying, "...I am responsible (as we all are) to not perpetuate them further." In her response, Zendaya Coleman made the point that prejudices are often hidden, but affect our actions. She said, "The hidden prejudices is often influential in our actions." She continued to say that she fought against her the urge of responding negatively to Rancic's comments. The young actress accepted her apology and invited others to do the same.

On Monday night's episode of E!'s Fashion Police, Rancic said the young actress' dreadlocks made her appear as though she smelled like patchouli oil or weed. In response, Zendaya released a statement via social media, educating Rancic on stereotypes and suggesting that she think before speaking. She said, "I suggest some people should listen to India Arie's "I Am Not My Hair" and contemplate a little before opening your mouth so quickly to judge."

Since then, Coleman has gained support from other women in the entertainment industry including India.Arie. Yesterday, the singer penned an open letter to Zendaya on her website. In the letter titled "SongVersation: Beautiful Flower", Arie commended the actress for her response to Rancic. She also said Rancic's comments were about race. The singer said, " I'm not calling Giuliana Rancic a RACIST,..but OF COURSE it has to do with RACE. To say it has “Nothing to do with race” .. THAT’S why people get mad." India. Arie continued by suggesting that Zendaya look at Rancic from a social context, and how race is an issue in the entertainment industry. She said, "I'm sad theres [sic] an actual form of entertainment where people are excused to be snarky and unkind, that's the REAL issue."

My Thoughts

I am glad Giuliana Rancic sincerely apologized to Zendaya, and she accepted it. I think her statement about taking responsibility to not perpetuate cliches and stereotypes was correct. In order for one not to do as Rancic did, they must step inside the other person's shoes. They may need to understand a little of their history and experiences. India.Arie's letter addresses the issue in the entertainment industry, well. I have always loved her for her refusal to adhere to anyone else's standard of beauty. Zendaya boldly and stunningly stepped out on the red carpet with her dreadlocks like many Black women (including myself) who have done the same, stepping out into the world rocking our natural hair.

I believe that if this incident happened (along with many others) 10 or 15 years ago before social media became as big as it is now, it would have been swept under the rug. I love the conversations though. I love the fact that celebrities can settle disputes and show support through things like open letters. After Zendaya released her statements, I saw many other people (especially naturals) repost the letter in support. The letters, tweets, and statuses start conversations that need to happen. I would close this article off by saying that hopefully, nothing like this happens again. However, I think those hidden prejudices that Zendaya spoke about will reveal themselves again. So, we'll have to see.

What do you think of Giuliana Rancic's apology and India.Arie's open letter to Zendaya Coleman?

Related Articles: Zendaya Shuts Down Giuliana Rancic's Ignorant Hair Comments with Intelligent...
Did QVC Host Sandra Bennett Make Offensive Comments...
Natural Hair and Negative Comments

Aborigines and Melanesians: Naturally Blonde Hair and Dark Skin

Melanesia: Solomon Island girls (photo courtesy of the -cropped-Flickr- Australian Civil-Military Centre http://www.acmc.gov.au/ ) Naturally blonde hair is often associated with white or Caucasian people. However, there are groups of dark skin people who have naturally blonde hair also. Some of these groups include the Aboriginal Australians (Aborigines) and the Melanesians. I love this fact because it goes against the idea that one group or culture must look a certain way or stay in a certain category. The Aborigines have dark skin. Some of them also have blonde hair which tends to be straight, but can be curly. Scientists first believed they were descendants of Eurasians. In 2011, scientists found evidence against the theory from a sample of natural hair. The sample of hair, which was said to be more than 100 years old, helped scientists determine that Aborigines were descendants of Africans. The New York Times confirmed this finding: "The Abo...

Sheryl Underwood Wears Natural Hair and Apologizes on The Talk

1BlessedNatural: Sheryl Underwood Wears Natural Hair and Apologizes on The Talk (photo cred: CBS/The Talk) Yesterday, comedian and talk show host, Sheryl Underwood wore her natural hair onstage of the talk show, The Talk. She received a round of applause, and Sharon Osbourne commented that her Teenie Weenie Afro (TWA) was gorgeous. Underwood explained to her fellow co-hosts and audience that she'd done something wrong 2 years ago when she spoke against the actions of Heidi Klum for keeping her sons' Afro hair in a bag as a keepsake. She said the hair was "nasty." Underwood received backlash for her words, especially from the Black community. They were viewed as examples of self-hatred among other things. On Monday's episode of The Talk Sheryl Underwood apologized a second time for her 2013 statement by saying this: I made some statements that were not only wrong, they hurt our community. When I say, "our community," I mean Black ...

Priscilla Shirer Shares Her Natural Hair Story and Tips on IG Live!

Actress and minister of Going Beyond Ministries Priscilla Shirer shared her natural hair story and secrets on IG Live today. After receiving numerous questions about her long thick natural hair, she decided it was time to do a video. Shirer said, "I've decided that sometimes, to a woman, hair = ministry." Shirer started getting a perm at about 13 years old. During previous years, her mother would use the hot comb to straighten her hair. When Shirer was 24 years old, she noticed a circular patch of hair that had broken off on the side of her head. After she visited a doctor and they plucked a few strands from different parts of her hair, the doctor concluded that Shirer's hair was growing in healthy. However, it was something that she was doing to her hair that was making it break off. As a result, her doctor told her to stop relaxing her hair for 6 months. While driving home, Shirer had a breakthrough. She originally had no intention of following the doctor...

1Blessed Natural Mag

Search This Blog