Giuliana Rancic is already having a rocky 2015. The busy co-host of E! News , red carpet events, and Fashion Police first received skinny-shaming comments for her slender body at the Grammy Awards. Now she’s being slammed for her commentary on 18-year-old singer/actress Zendaya Coleman at the 2015 Oscars, reported MSN .
Reviewing the various Academy Awards fashions on Fashion Police , Rancic focused on Coleman’s dreadlocks.
“I feel like she smells like patchouli oil and weed,” sniffed Giuliana.
Her co-hosts all laughed at that criticism. But Zendaya was irate, following up with an Instagram posting charging Rancic for what she termed both ignorance and disrespect.
“To say that an 18 year old young woman with locs must smell like patchouli oil and weed is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive [and]…certain remarks cannot go unchecked.”
In addition, Coleman pointed to others who wear their hair in dreadlocks.
“Men, women and children of all races [wear dreadlocks], none of which smell of marijuana,” wrote the 18-year-old. “[Rancic’s remarks were] ignorant slurs and pure disrespect.”
The young actress also said that she made the decision to wear her hair in that style for a reason.
“[To] remind people of color that our hair is good enough.”
Subsequently, Rancic tweeted an apology distancing herself from any racial implications.
http://youtu.be/FrfonAMuEGc
Dear @Zendaya , I’m sorry I offended you and others. I was referring to a bohemian chic look. Had NOTHING to do with race and NEVER would!!!
However, others agreed with Zendaya’s reaction to those remarks.
When Kylie Jenner got dreads they were “edgy” and “urban”. Yet when Zendaya got them, they smell like “weed & oil”. THIS IS WHY WE GET MAD. — aquatic mistress (@momodamermaid) February 24, 2015
When we start picking apart young women at an early age we are destroying their self esteem. #Zendaya — Kar?n Ci?il (@KarenCivil) February 24, 2015
Zendaya looked great. This was a petty racist slap at someone Giuliana thought would accept it. #BlackGirlsAlwaysClapBack — Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) February 24, 2015
And while Giuliana dealt with the fall-out from her fashion faux pas, she also has repeatedly had to cope with criticism about her weight, reported Yahoo News .
http://youtu.be/LTPC7liQqw8
In particular, she’s still receiving attacks via social media for her very slim size. Rancic admitted that she’s deliberately refrained from commenting.
“The reason I haven’t really responded to all of that is because as soon as you respond — good or bad — it fuels the story. I’m such a confident person, and I know exactly who I am, and I know the truth. As long as I know the truth and my family knows the truth and my friends know the truth, that’s all that matters.”
But what is the truth? Rancic promises to tell more about her diet and any food issues in her memoir, which will be published in the spring. Until then, says Giuliana, she pities the critics.
“I actually feel sorry for people who make mean comments or awful comments about someone’s weight or appearance. When I read those comments, I think, ‘Wow, this is more about them than me,’” stated Rancic.
“I’m not saying this as a bulls**t answer to get around this question. At this point in my life, I don’t have to answer it or justify any of it with an answer.”
In contrast, at 380 pounds, Whitney Thore is candid about how she feels when she is fat-shamed , revealing everything from her attempts at dieting to her dance moves on Big Fat Fabulous Life , as the Inquisitr reported.
And Thore is honest about the balance between seeking to change her appearance and enjoying her life.
“I do want to lose weight. I’m not naïve to the health risks that are going to come to me at almost 400 lbs. But does that mean I’m going to hate myself in the process? No,” she stated firmly.
[Photo By Jason Merritt/Getty Images]