Guiliana Rancic received massive backlash when she inappropriately and insensitively insulted Zendaya Coleman’s hair choice on the E! television show, Fashion Police. The E! News Anchor critiqued the teen star for wearing dreadlocks to the Oscars, joking that Coleman probably smelled like “patchouli oil or weed”.
Zendaya and her fan base of millions began openly speaking out about the ignorance and insensitivity of the comment, recognizing that Rancic had gone way too far; Fashion Police is a show known for ultimately ridiculing celebrities’ style choices, but the general public did not take lightly to Rancic’s racist remarks, and as such, she publicly apologized to Zendaya and to anyone else the comments offended, saying that the experience had been educational for her: “This incident has taught me to be a lot more aware of clichés and stereotypes — how much damage they can do, and that I am responsible, as we all are, to not perpetuate them further,”. While Coleman graciously accepted the apology, Kelly Osbourne, Rancic’s cohost on Fashion Police chose to leave the show, as she openly tweeted during the controversy that she did not support racism or what had been said during the show. That being said, if a member of the television show herself feels that the discussions and comments being created are not appropriate, does this not say something about the massive faults of the show’s content? In a society that has worked consistantly throughout recent years to establish anti-bullying campaigns and to create safer environments where people of all ages will not be judged, is this show not a major set back?
One might be able to find something somewhat redeemable in the show, if they made more frequent comments about the actual clothes, rather than the celebrities wearing them, and moreover critiques further than just the apparently aesthetically displeasing color, but comments that actually demonstrate a knowledge of fashion as the title of the show suggests. Anyway you try to spin the synopsis of this show, it ultimately leads back to bullying; it supports any individual who decides to critique celebrities by typing hurtful comments on a computer screen, expect in this case, we can actually see their faces and we can speak directly about them when their ignorant, stereotypical comments blow up in their faces, as is the case with Rancic’s latest “fashion evaluation” . I commend Zendaya for speaking out, not just for herself, but for all people who felt insulted by the comment, as it has made major faults in the show all the more evident.