Singer Zendaya Calls Out Giuliana Rancic for Offensive Hair Comments

Zendaya with dreadlocks at the Academy Awards on Sunday Night (Getty Images).

E!’s Fashion Police are known for their harsh criticism of stars looks on the red carpet, but this time, host Giuliana Rancic may have taken things too far. During Monday night’s broadcast of the post-Oscars Fashion Police show, Rancic commented on actress and singer Zendaya’s choice to wear dreadlocks on the Oscars red carpet, saying, “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil. Or weed. Maybe weed?”

Zendaya took to Twitter on Monday night to respond to Rancic’s comments, calling her remarks “outrageously offensive.” In the Twitter post, which has over 35,000 retweets and 38,000 favorites, Zendaya lists prominent men and women who also wear their hair in dreadlocks and recommends that people go and listen to India Arie’s song, “I Am Not My Hair,” before judging others. “There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair,” says the singer. “My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough.”

Many of Zendaya’s fans, including Khloé Kardashian, took to Twitter in support of her statement and look.

Rancic tried to clear the air on Twitter early Tuesday morning suggesting that her comment was not related to race. “I was referring to a bohemian chic look. Had NOTHING to do with race and NEVER would!!!” But this might only be the beginning of a much larger discussion about beauty and race.