Zendaya's 2015 Oscars Hair Comments Resurface After Dress Rewear

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Zendaya recently rewore her iconic 2015 Oscars dress while promoting her new movie, sparking a resurfacing of the vile comments she faced as a teenager over her locs hairstyle at the time. In 2015, Giuliana Rancic made a racially-charged remark about Zendaya's hair, saying it made her look like she "smells like patchouli oil" or "weed." Zendaya responded with a powerful statement condemning the ignorant slur and disrespect. Years later, a similar controversy emerged at the 2023 Oscars when an E! News correspondent referred to Chase Infiniti's braided hairstyle as "undone."

Why it matters

Zendaya's graceful handling of the 2015 incident highlighted the need for more awareness and sensitivity around African American hairstyles, which often face harsh criticism and stereotyping in society. The resurfacing of this discourse, as well as the recent Oscars controversy, demonstrates that issues of racial bias and microaggressions in the entertainment industry persist, despite some progress.

The details

In 2015, then-18-year-old Zendaya wore her hair in locs to the Oscars, which prompted Giuliana Rancic to make a racially-charged comment on Fashion Police, saying Zendaya's hair made her look like she "smells like patchouli oil" or "weed." Zendaya responded with a powerful statement condemning the "ignorant slurs and pure disrespect." This year, a similar controversy arose at the Oscars when an E! News correspondent referred to Chase Infiniti's braided hairstyle as "undone," dismissing the effort that goes into such styles.

• Zendaya wore the iconic Oscars dress in 2015.
• Zendaya rewore the dress while promoting her new movie in 2026.