Actress and singer Zendaya Coleman revealed her very own 2015 Oscar dress-inspired doll at the Barbie Rock ‘N Royals Concert Experience in Los Angeles on Saturday.
The faux locs she wore in her hair were fab but E! News anchor Guiliana Rancic joked about it on Fashion Police’s red carpet coverage and said it looked as if it smelled of marijuana. It was an insult not just to her but anyone who wears their hair in locs.
She took some time to reflect on the comment before issuing a response.
““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,” Zendaya wrote on Instagram at the time. “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.”
And for being a voice of change, she was rewarded with a doll. Cool!
“Thank you for raising your voice — The Barbie Team” a note from the Mattel toymaker read on the reply she penned addressing Giuliana’s comment.
“I think the way we react to things is a big indicator of our character and what type of person we are,” she told Daily Mail. “I just had too much respect for myself and didn’t want to prove everybody right that’s waiting for me to be ignorant and do something dumb, so I took my time until I thought of the best way I could address the comments. I realized that if I don’t like something, I can change it. If I don’t feel comfortable with something, then I have a voice to say it’s not cool.”
She kissed the doll on the red carpet and even changed her Instagram profile to be the doll. It is not being made for mass production. Perhaps later Barbie will make a collector’s edition of the doll.
What a dream come true for any young woman to see themselves turned into a doll. Perhaps it will encourage more girls of color to be proud of their hair and heritage.
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