Last week, Zendaya took to Snapchat to tell her story. Zendaya claimed (and many believed her) that she had been treated rudely at Vons, a supermarket chain. She had been trying to buy $400 worth of gift cards and she said the Vons attendant suggested that she didn’t have the money to pay for the cards, and Zendaya also said the attendant threw her wallet down or something like that. Vons later issued a vaguely worded apology where they didn’t really specify if Zendaya had been treated rudely because of her race. Well, Zendaya was in New York over the weekend for some NYFW events, and she was asked about the incident by several outlets. Some quotes:
She has no regrets: “I feel like you’re supposed to speak up on issues that you think are important. Honestly, that’s what social media is for, you know, to share stories and have conversations and open dialogue about it.”
How she deals with criticism for speaking her mind: “Well, that’s gonna happen regardless. In many ways, if you don’t have haters, you’re not doing your job. You gotta have people to hate on you. That’s the best part!”
It happens all the time: “It’s important to raise your voice about issues you feel affected by. It happens to African-American men and women every day.”
One of the reasons why I’ve been saying “no one will just let Zendaya live” is this, what she says here. The fact that she expects to be criticized for merely speaking about her lived experiences in this world is sad. It’s a sad commentary on our society that she’s learned that kind of pragmatism at such a young age.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet and Instagram.
I like Zendaya, I have never seen her in anything to be honest, but I think she is poised and articulate when she brings up issues or speaks up about racism and injustice, I support her. I know it’s a popular saying, but the “best part is having haters” and “gotta have haters” it’s such a sad rhetoric in my opinion.
+ 1
Agree/cosign/etc important social issues …
But also! That runway look is stunnnnning. Am I imagining it or is it a velvet jumpsuit with some lace detail? You clearly need zendaya’s body to pull that off I think I’d look like someone’s grandmas couch from the 60s or something. O and I’m going to need to look for more pics of that Michael kors look! Into the choker
She’s right though and it’s especially true for black women. I mean we get mansplaining AND whitesplaining. It’s a truly magical combination
+1Nicole When we do speak up we get criticized or labeled with terms such as the angry Black woman. I hope this gorgeous young lady continues to speak up.
And though she fits into the conformity of what Hollywood expects Black women actresses to look like she is still met with roadblocks.
Are you the same V4Real who posts on Truthdig?
No, that’s not me. I’ve never heard of that site until now.
She is not a black woman, she is black and white.
I think she blew that incident out of proportion… But I also think she is young and that she has experienced a lot of things that make her jump to conclusions in certain instances. And that is sad. And it is sad that someone has to grow up being mistreated for what they look like.
That said, on a superficial note, I think she is drop dead gorgeous.
Was going to post, but you’ve already said everything I think 😛
I think she is a stunningly beautiful young woman and very articulate for her age. My kids used to watch “Shake It Up,” which is where I know her from. I’m always seeing Bella Thorne (her co-star) as though she’s the next “it girl.” I don’t agree. Of the two, I always thought Zendaya would be the breakout star and I still do.
And you WILL have haters, especially if you’re black AND use your voice.
We see it repeatedly everytime a black person steps up to vocalize and be open about racism and discrimination in this country. It’s funny because even after a lifetime living in this skin sometimes I’m still struck by the profound words of another individual reflecting on racism and Solange’s “3 Strikes and We Don’t Believe You Anymore” was poignant.
Mention it once and you’re a nuisance, twice and you’re an advocate, three times and you’re a problem. As if racism is so rare that for any of us to speak on it frequently we must be looking to be victimized. We get whitesplained and mansplained and funny enough I feel the struggle of my skin tone a lot harder and more than my gender.
“We get whitesplained and mansplained and funny enough I feel the struggle of my skin tone a lot harder and more than my gender.” — I couldn’t have put it better myself! People want you to speak up about it, but when you do, they start picking apart the situation and what *you* could have done to prevent it, and oh it was all just a misunderstanding, and they didn’t really mean it *that* way, and you’re too sensitive, and you’re just looking for reasons to get mad….. smh.
As usual, she speaks the truth. And while she’s aware of such a sad thing, she still manages to sound positive. Also, that runway look is everything!!!
Zendaya always impresses me.
She’s a breath of fresh air, articulate, seems like an old soul and is just stunning!
I look forward to watching where her career goes because I believe huge things are in store for her.
Her experience in Vons sickened me and by contrast to Solange’s account at the concert, I believe Zendaya faced racism.
That said, I am white and outspoken – the one colleagues go to in the workplace to tackle management.
The one friends go to for the difficult issues – I am the one who confronts mainstream.
I get shunned and ridiculed as a result sometimes along the way.
It’s called “shooting the messenger” and it’s been going on since the beginning of time.
It has nothing to do with race.
My point is, while racism exists and sickens me, anyone, regardless of skin color, who takes on mainstream will get shot down by some.
I really dislike Zendaya for a couple of stupid and kind of petty reasons I won’t go into (I think we’re all allowed some irrational dislike) and I usually hate-read posts about her (without commenting though), but what she says here makes me sad for our society. I don’t know why people are so zealous in denying racism. I don’t know if this store attendant was being racist, but given the frequent occurence of racism it is very likely. Also, I’m not black, but I see a lot of racism and I can only imagine that being black you encounter so much racism that you start to feel like you’re under a microscope.
Much like the experience Solange Knowles had at that concert – I think that people of color have ALWAYS been subjected to racism, overt and/or undercover.
As a middle-aged white woman with inter-racial marriages in my family and more friends of color than not, for a long time, I really used to think that our society as a rule and our nation as a whole had really made serious strides towards tolerance. I think now it is impossible to hold onto that notion as a reality.
I also read Solange’s OpEd she wrote and I’m sad to say that because I automatically, involuntarily reacted to it as a middle aged white woman, I thought she was over-reacting to rude, ignorant people. (When I was younger, my white friends and I wore miniskirts to a dance concert and we too had garbage thrown at us from Haters standing behind us.) But then it occurred to me that I missed her point entirely. People of Color have been forced to gauge life experiences as coming from a place of hate and racism and many do do automatically, involuntarily feel fear, (and anger, oppression, resentment).
And as white people, we really wouldn’t understand what that feels like.
We need people like Zendaya and Solange to continue the education for all of us. It’s the only way to provide the healing and the learning that is so very necessary.
OMG that black velvet pantsuit…. *drools* *falls on floor* *fashion coma* *dies*