Zendaya 2015 Oscars Loc Comments, Chase Infiniti Braids
Earlier this week, Zendaya made headlines when she recreated one of her red carpet dresses while promoting her and Robert Pattinson’s new film A24, Drama.
In case you missed it, Zendaya and Rob play a “happily engaged couple” who are “put to the test when an unexpected turn sends their wedding week off track” in the film, with much of the coverage surrounding it depending on the theme of the wedding.
For example, back in December, the stars appeared in an engagement announcement in the Boston Globe newspaper, and at the Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday, Zendaya was seen wearing the white Vivienne Westwood wedding dress she wore to the 2015 Oscars.
Explaining her decision to re-wear the dress, Zendaya told Variety: “I was talking to Law [Roach] about how I would wear the theme of this film, and I remembered the saying, ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ So, this is my ‘old stuff.’
“I thought I would bring it back and give it a new life,” he added. “This dress meant a lot to me. It was a very important moment for me, my community, my loved ones… I felt right. And it happens to be a wedding dress! So, that works.”
This time, Zendaya paired the outfit with short, soft hair. However, when she first wore it 11 years ago, she chose to wear her hair down – and people now remember the racist speech that followed.
If you need a reminder, Giuliana Rancic sparked outrage when she said Zendaya’s hair made her look like she “smells like patchouli oil” or “weed” in an episode of the show. The Fashion Police.
Meanwhile, the then 18-year-old Zendaya responded with a powerful statement that was widely praised online. She wrote: “There’s a fine line between funny and disrespectful. Someone said something about my hair at the Oscars that took me by surprise. Not because I enjoyed the rave reviews, but because I was being insulted by the total ignorance and disrespect.”
He added that Giuliana’s comments were “highly opinionated” and “absolutely offensive.” The star then wrote: “There is already a harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others by their curls.”
You can read his full statement below:
Zendaya’s comments were retweeted on Reddit’s pop forum for wearing the dress again, and many shared their admiration for how gracefully she handled the situation at such a young age — as well as their dismay and shock that Giuliana said it in the first place. Another wrote: “Even now, I’m impressed by how well he reacted to such cruel and petty words.”
“Zendaya has always been very good at dealing with these kinds of threats. The modesty she showed at such a young age that even older, more experienced celebrities fail to imitate,” added another. Another popular comment read: “It’s amazing what respect can do for your job.” Zendaya said such strong words, but I haven’t heard about Guilana in years.”
In case you missed it, the rising star looked glamorous in a lilac Louis Vuitton dress, and had her hair in intricate boho braids. During the red carpet broadcast, a reporter said of Chase’s appearance: “Let’s think about this amazing almost uncut hair in a ready-made dress.
Even though the reporter ended up praising the way Chase looks, the words they chose did not go down well with people watching at home, especially since he was spending work related to wearing braids. In response to Zendaya’s resurfaced statement, one editor wrote: “It’s been 10 years since an E reporter had the audacity to comment on Chase Infinit’s hair.”
“At least it came from a place with good intentions,” argued another. “Unlike Zendaya who was totally meant to be racist and offensive.”
As always, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
