In 2015, Zendaya took the
Oscar red carpet wearing her hair in locs and sporting a beautiful dress. At
the time, Zendaya was only 18 years old, however this did not stop Giuliana
Rancic from asserting that “[her hair] smells like patchouli oil…or maybe weed.” In response to this blatantly racist comment
which was aired on E!News, Zendaya released a personal statement on her Instagram
in which she addressed the stereotypes surrounding locs and the affect that the
perpetuation of this stereotype has on the black community. Zendaya notes how “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,” a testament
which brings to light the microagressions black men and women face when they
choose to sport any hair style that does not mimic that of a white person. It is natural hair stylings that prevent
members of the black community from getting jobs, which is a modern day way to
keep the work place segregated to a certain extent. The acceptance of this line of thought is
clearly shone when the E!News teams allowed the comment of Zendaya’s hair to air
on television rather than remove it during edits. Zendaya does not allow this comment to go
unnoticed for if she had, then in the eyes of people such as Rancic, comments
on African American hair would be able to continue unchecked. By posting her statement to her Instagram, an
account which has 40.9 million followers, Zendaya made sure that her statement
would be heard. The power of social media
as a tool to promote black positivity and activist work should not be
discounted as shone in Zendaya’s example.
For the 40.9 million people who saw her post, the issue of race was
brought to a forefront.
Really good point Britney! I, too, have been thinking about the different ways to effectively organize and what it really means to be an activist. You bring up a very good point about how something simple like social media has the potential to spark important social commentary and dialogue between two forces. However, I do have a question for you: do you think that one can simply call him/herself an activist behind the lens of a computer or phone screen? This has been a major point of contention I think, because I cannot discount that although digital, social media is a medium of space. At the same time, I am reluctant to call someone who only posts on social media an activist.
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