Zendaya Gets Real About a Struggle Many Young Black Women Face on Set

Zendaya has earned a reputation for being unafraid to take risks, and that extends well beyond her film roles. In 2024, she even switched up her hair colors to showcase her very different characters in Dune: Part Two and Challengers.

“I had to figure out how I would differentiate between the two red carpets and make them feel really different,” she told Vogue. “That’s why we decided to go blonde—I had never been blonde before.”

Overcoming On-Set Hair Damage

And she’s continued to get more daring with her hairstyles. While promoting Spider-Man: Brand New Day for the past week, she’s sported a wavy, long blowout; a ponytail with slicked-down bangs; and long, straight hair with blunt baby bangs. However, while she loves experimenting with her hair now, she admitted she had to fix the damage first, after years on shows like Disney’s Shake It Up and K.C. Undercover.

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“When I was younger, I was on television, and I had an experience I think a lot of young women, especially young Black women, go through, which was not really understanding how to care for it on set and not having the right kind of people looking after my curls.” 

The Struggle for Inclusivity

Zendaya is far from the only actress who’s spoken out about the frustrations of working with stylists who don’t know how to style Black hair. In 2022, her Euphoria co-star, Storm Reid, explained her own experience.

“It has been a struggle for me specifically on sets when it comes to the hair disparity and people not just knowing how to deal with Black hair,” Reid told PEOPLE. “In a way, it feels dehumanizing… when it’s time for your hair to look nice and there’s nobody on set to be able to help you achieve that. They really just don’t understand Black hair care. It’s disheartening and it’s heartbreaking.”

Resilience and Reclamation

Zendaya’s hair journey is a testament to both resilience and reclamation. By setting firm boundaries, surrounding herself with experts who understand her hair’s needs, and fearlessly experimenting with new looks, she isn’t just protecting her natural curl. She’s inspiring a broader, much-needed shift toward inclusivity and proper care in Hollywood’s beauty industry.