Who is Zendaya Coleman?

Zendaya Coleman at a Paris Fashion Week event Credit: Getty

Paris Fashion Week has thrown up all the usual front row contenders: Rihanna clad head-to-toe in Dior, surrounded by a swarm of iPhones; Kanye looking moody; Kris Jenner looking painfully overdressed.
But we couldn’t help but notice a fresh face amid the celebrity contingent – Zendaya Coleman.
At just 19, she’s relatively new to the celebs-on-front-rows phenomenon. She’s an all-singing, all-dancing former Disney Channel star (like Miley Cyrus, but way less in-your-face) so tweens-and-under are likely already familiar with her.

Zendaya Coleman Credit: Rex

However, her mononymous moniker may be familiar to the over-16s, thanks to a little furore back in February when she attended the Oscars. For the event, her hair was styled into waist-length dreadlocks. This prompted Giuliana Rancic, presenter of celeb-trashing panel show Fashion Police, to absurdly comment that “I feel like she smells like patchouli oil and weed.” #Fail.

Zendaya at the 2016 Oscars Credit: Rex

Coleman, then just 18, replied with a statement that belied her youthful age.
"I was hit with ignorant slurs and pure disrespect. To say that an 18 year old young woman with locs [dreadlocks] must smell of patchouli oil or 'weed' is not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive,” read part of her retort. She continued:  “…There is already harsh criticism of African American hair in society without the help of ignorant people who choose to judge others based on the curl of their hair."

She, rightly so, won plaudits for her measured and mature response – her tweet was retweeted over 80,000 times in support. Last month, she was presented with a limited edition Barbie of herself, styled exactly as she was for the Oscars, dreadlocks and all – a two-fingers up to Rancic in 11.5" plastic form.

Zendaya with her Barbie likeness Credit: Getty

She’s been making her way into the fashion crowd this year – attending the Met Gala, an invitation to which automatically makes you ‘one of them’, and launching her own line of shoes, Daya by Zendaya.

Zendaya at the Met Gala Credit: Rex

She’s also a member of Taylor Swift’s ubiquitous ‘squad’ and appeared in the singer’s Bad Blood video as the less Disney-friendly ‘Cut-Throat’. Numerous magazine covers are already under her 24-inch belt too; W, Teen Vogue, Hunger to name a few.

At Paris Fashion Week, she has showcased an array of edgy outfits and even out-edged Rihanna, which is hard to do, but managed to look way less intimidating in the process.

Zendaya at the Kenzo SS16 show at Paris Fashion Week Credit: Rex

Just in case you weren’t already feeling like an under-bridge-dwelling troll having looked at numerous pictures of her youthful beauty, we’d like to point out that this is her yearbook photo…
 https://instagram.com/p/zeGVEhJmGE/