Disney Channel actress and singer Zendaya has dealt with a lot of criticism in her short 19 years. But she's not letting the haters get her down. In a recent Essence cover interview, she discussed how she learned to stand her ground when facing Twitter trolls and media critics.
“When I talk to people about [standing up for myself], it’s not new,” she said. She was talking about her response to Fashion Police host Giuliana Rancic's comments on her dreadlocks at the Oscars. After he said her hair "smells like patchouli oil or weed," she wrote on Instagram that she hopes her hair serves "to remind people of color that our hair is good enough."
“It’s not something I just started doing. I Just did it in public, and more people saw it than usual,” she told Essence.
She also said she learned how to stay strong from her parents.
“With her being my daughter, I want her to feel like he’s empowered by having an opinion on life,” her mom Claire Stoermer told the magazine. “I don’t want her or any of my children to feel like they have to be a part of the status quo and go along with the tide.”
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