Giuliana Rancic came under fire this week for a “joke” she made on Fashion Police about Zendaya Coleman‘s dreadlocks. Based solely on her hairstyle, Giuliana said Zendaya looks like she smells like patchouli oil or weed. Zendaya was taken aback by the stereotype and spoke out on Instagram.
Zendaya quickly gained a ton of supporters, including Ava DuVernay, Solange Knowles, Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, and Khloe Kardashian, and Giuliana responded to the backlash with a formal apology on E! News. Zendaya put out another statement via Instagram in response to Giuliana’s apology.
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Zendaya stated, “Studies have shown that even though we try to act without prejudice, sometimes it’s just hidden inside us due to our past or surroundings. That hidden prejudice is often influential in our actions. It’s our job to spot the issues within others and ourselves and destroy them before they become hurtful. I have so many people looking up to me, that I couldn’t be scared, wait it out, nor could I just stand up for me; I had to do it for WE.”
“It is important in this journey to remember, just because someone has inflicted hurt upon us, it does not give us the right to do the same,” added Zendaya, most likely referring to rude remarks made about Giuliana‘s thin frame to lash back. “Body shaming and other hurtful tactics will never get the job done. As hard as it was to stop MYSELF from being ignorant and from posting the first mean words that came to my mind because I was hurt, I had to think about the bigger picture. Instead, I sat for two hours, doing my research and formulating an educated response.”
Zendaya shared, “Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I’m glad it was a learning experience for you and for the network. I hope that others negatively affected by her words can also find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well. From a quote we all know by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.’ Let’s be that light and spread that love.”
This was a hot topic all week. Sharon Osbourne shared her thoughts on The Talk. About Giuliana, she said, “I think her apology was very sincere, and as she said, she’s learned a lot about what she said. I think we all make mistakes on TV. I put my foot in my mouth all the time. She fessed up, and at the end of the day, she owned it.”
Over on The View, Whoopi Goldberg was less sympathetic towards Giuliana. “Here’s what’s offensive to me. I’ve had dreads for 40 years and never have I smelled like patchouli. It’s a stereotype that she put on,” she said. “She’s not Joan Rivers, and unless you know how to make jokes, do NOT do it, because this is what happens.”
TELL US – WILL GIULIANA EVER BE ABLE TO LIVE THIS DOWN?
Photo Credit: Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com
