Did Zendaya’s viral moment at the 2015 Oscars start the CROWN Act? Law Roach thinks so

Some may remember when Zendaya, then best often called a Disney star, arrived on the 2015 Oscars red carpet wearing an off-the-shoulder white gown by Vivienne Westwood and her hair in flowing fake curls. The look was elegant yet culturally significant, launching Zendaya into the conversation as a real tastemaker — but not in the way she and her longtime stylist, Law Roach, initially thought.

At the time, Giuliana Rancic, host of E!’s “Fashion Police,” caused a stir when she said on-air that Zendaya looked like she “smelled like patchouli oil or herbs.” Her comments resonated and, based on Roach, began a movement that led to the CROWN Act.

Recounting that moment nearly a decade later at the Teen Vogue Summit on Nov. 23, Roach explained why he’s ultimately glad the moment happened.

“This case actually changed the way Black hair was accepted in schools and workplaces,” he said during a panel discussion, based on People Magazine. “So even though we didn’t plan on making this big statement, because of the events that took place, the CROWN Act was really born out of this incident.”

Following Rancic’s comments, Zendaya didn’t hesitate to call out the veteran host via Instagram.

“There’s a fine line between fun and disrespect,” he says he wrote then in an in depth post.

“Someone said something about my hair at the Oscars that blew my mind,” the Emmy winner added. “Not because I liked the rave reviews of the outfits, but because I was met with ignorant insults and a complete lack of respect.”

She continued: “Stating that an 18-year-old young woman with curls must smell like patchouli oil or ‘herb’ just isn’t only an enormous stereotype, but in addition outrageously offensive. I do not normally feel the need to answer negative things, but some comments cannot be ignored.”

After noting how many individuals in her personal life, including her father and brother, have curls, Zendaya also determined what number of extremely prestigious and successful people sport curls, including professors, authors, and Harvard director Ava DuVernay.

“There has already been harsh criticism of African American hairstyles in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair,” she said, adding that she wore her hair in curls that evening to remind Black folks that “our hair is sweet enough “.

Rancic faced immediate backlash for these comments, and the next day she even apologized on air, admitting, “Something I said last night crossed the line.”

“That’s how change happens,” she said. “And it made me think, ‘How can I always have a lasting impact on what people see and associate with people of color?’”

In the years since these comments, the CROWN Act, co-founded by Adjoa B. Asmoah in partnership with Dove and several other others as a part of the CROWN Coalition, was introduced and first passed in California in 2019. The CROWN Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender hair texture or style, was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. Versions of this bill are currently in effect in 27 states. Most recently, Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, passed a law against hairstyle discrimination in July.

As for “Fashion Police,” this moment also marked the starting of a run of bad luck for the show that ended later that yr. The show, where hosts scrutinized stars’ red carpet outfits, struggled to get well after Rancic’s gaffe, the departure of fellow host Kelly Osbourne in response to the incident and the death of longtime co-host Joan Rivers.

Since the show ended, celebrity fashion coverage has grow to be more comprehensive. Instead of harsh and sometimes offensive criticism, fashion journalists and red carpet hosts now often concentrate on what suits a star’s look, its potential cultural significance, and production that takes under consideration the creation of the look by the stars’ design teams and stylists.