Zendaya is not here for people questioning her blackness.
It’s true. She’s dealt with backlash from both sides, regarding her hair and skin tone. Remember that little incident on the 2015 Oscar’s red carpet with Guiliana Ranic? But it was her recent comments regarding race that have ruffled a few feathers.
“You get the best and the worst of both worlds,” she told Complex magazine. “I know there were a lot of times when you try to figure out where you fit in. I just realized that it worked to my advantage because I just got along with a lot of people.”
She continued, “But to literally be two races, it’s really hard to see color because I’m the gray area. I had to learn about both sides of myself and be really proud of and educated in both. I think that’s why I’m comfortable with myself and can speak on certain issues because I’ve taken the time, or my parents have taken the time, to teach me who I am.”
So naturally, Twitter users jumped at the opportunity to slam the rising star for being open and honest about being biracial and not always knowing where she fits in. While we appreciate Coleman’s honesty (after all, we’re not all cut from the same cloth), here’s what other had to say:
I wanted Zendaya to be better than this, but alas, she’s been brainwashed by the new black ideology. They got another one. Damn.
— lost in wonderland; (@bookworm_radio) December 2, 2015
If it’s ‘hard for you to see color’ how can you be a Black activist @Zendaya? — Sensei Aishitemasu (@seren_sensei) December 2, 2015
Though Zendaya has light skin privilege due to colorism. She’s still a black girl in the eyes of the white supremacist society we live in.
— JB (@JBlackson) December 2, 2015
Well, it appears that the 19-year-old had enough of the criticism, so she clapped back:
How bout you read the article before takin pieces and makin up the rest… pic.twitter.com/RceknYVfgL — Zendaya (@Zendaya) December 2, 2015
As always, the former Disney star kept it classy. What do you think of Coleman’s response to Twitter ragging her about race? Sound off in the comment section below.
