Zendaya Responds To Giuliana With Long Statement, MLK Quote
Zendaya Coleman responded to Giuliana Rancic’s apology with a lengthy statement on Wednesday.
The 256-word statement, which was posted on her official Twitter page, covers quite a few topics before Zendaya addresses Giuliana’s apology directly.
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) February 25, 2015
First, the 18-year-old actress focused on the existence of hidden prejudices that can eventually influence a person’s actions and what needs to be done in order to prevent that from happening.
“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 these issues within others and ourselves and destroy them before they become hurtful.”
Zendaya then focused on herself for a moment and how she had to make sure that the way she did not set a bad example for her fans and followers by mishandling this controversial situation.
“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 that just because someone has inflicted hurt upon us, it does not give us the right to do the same. Body shaming and other hurtful tactics will never get the job done.”
However, Zendaya does not hesitate to discuss what she initially wanted to do in response to Giuliana’s controversial comments about her hair along with what prevented her from doing so.
“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.”
Zendaya further states that she spent two hours researching and formulating “an educated response” before seguing into the response that she came up with during that period of time to conclude her statement.
“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.”
The K.C. Undercover actress brought her lengthy statement to a close with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. along with her own final thought to share with Giuliana Rancic.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that…Martin Luther King, Jr. #quote RT @alphabetsuccess pic.twitter.com/vP6ysWT1Uy
— Roman Jancic (@RomanJancic) February 22, 2015
“‘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.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Giuliana Rancic was heavily criticized after Monday night’s episode of Fashion Police. Rancic commented on Zendaya’s hairstyle choice for the Oscars, saying that it looked like she smelled like patchouli oil and “maybe weed.”
What do you think about Zendaya’s response?
[Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images & Zendaya Twitter]
