Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, has spoken out after coming across cruel comments about her appearance on Instagram.
The former teacher shared a screenshot of a post featuring photos of herself and Zendaya over the years and admitted that some of the comments could have hurt her if she had taken them personally.
Her response quickly brought support from netizens who were shocked that strangers were targeting the mother of an A-list actress.
Highlights
- Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, opened up about cruel Instagram comments targeting her appearance.
- Stoermer received support online after strangers criticized her looks.
- The latest comments echoed past criticism of Zendaya’s parents.
“Of all the sick people ripe for bullying, these people are gonna go for Zendaya’s mother? Sick in the head,” wrote one commenter.
Zendaya’s mother said she understands why people leave Instagram for their mental health
On September 2, the 62-year-old shared the message on her Instagram Story after seeing a post about her appearance.
The post featured photos of Stoermer and Zendaya from different years. After reading some of the comments, she admitted that she understood why people sometimes choose to leave social media altogether.
“I totally get why people have to give up Instagram for their mental health,” she wrote.
She said she could have felt bad about herself if she had continued reading all the comments.
“If I were to go and read all the comments on this post about myself, I could feel really bad. There are some terrible, horrible comments; I did read some of them.”
“And thank goodness I don’t take that s*** personally. Once upon a time I may have.”
Stoermer added that things could have been different if she were younger. She called the comments “sad and frustrating.”
She ended her message by referring to The Four Agreements, a book by Don Miguel Ruiz. One of its principles is to avoid taking things personally.
“Don’t take anything personally; it has nothing to do with you!!!” she wrote.
Stoermer’s response quickly attracted support from people who felt that she should never have had to defend herself against strangers in the first place
One person referenced Lady Gaga while reacting to the situation. “Reminds me of something Lady Gaga said, ‘social media, quite frankly, is the toilet of the internet.’”
Another pointed out that Stoermer and Zendaya’s father are older and shouldn’t be judged against the appearance standards often seen online.
“Also, her parents are in their 60s. People age. Botox, fillers, and plastic surgery got people thinking it’s normal to be 60 with no wrinkles and a flat stomach.”
A third focused on Stoermer’s role in Zendaya’s life, writing, “Zendaya is who she is because of her mother's love. And frankly, her mother did a fantastic job!”
Others were more direct, with one saying, “Of all the sick people ripe for bullying, these people are gonna go for Zendaya’s mother? Sick in the head”
Another flock of detractors focused on their own experience with social media. “I'm not even famous, and I deleted Instagram for my mental health years ago. I really recommend it to everyone basically.”
One added, “I think Claire is beautiful and I always will. She's simply one of the best humans I've ever met in my life.”
This is not the first time Zendaya’s parents were criticized for their looks
In 2015, when the Euphoria star was 18, a photo of the actress with Stoermer and her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, spread online.
Some users praised Zendaya’s appearance while attacking her parents. One reply to the photo said, “Her parents are really ugly. I really would cry.”
She then asked people to look beyond her parents’ appearance and focus on what they had done with their lives.
“While you're so concerned about what my parents look like, please know that these are two of the most selfless people in the world.”
Zendaya explained that both of her parents had dedicated their lives to education instead of worrying about their appearance or insulting other people online.
She described them as educators who had spent their careers “teaching, cultivating and filling young shallow minds.”
The actress also reminded the person behind the comment that teaching was one of the most important and underpaid jobs.
Zendaya ended her response by telling the critic to step away from X, go to school, hug a teacher, and look in the mirror.
“Know that you too are beautiful, because such hateful things only stem from internal struggles,” she wrote before signing off with “Me and my BEAUTIFUL family.”
Zendaya has often credited her mother as her biggest role model growing up
Zendaya has often spoken warmly about her mother’s influence.
Stoermer worked as a teacher in Oakland, California, including at schools that Zendaya described as underfunded.
“Growing up, I watched my mom teach in the heart of Oakland, Calif., at inner-city schools that were always underfunded,” Zendaya told Teen Vogue in November 2016.
She said her mother worked hard to give her students opportunities beyond their everyday surroundings.
“My mom went above and beyond, working constantly to open her students' eyes to an education that could lift them far beyond their current circumstances.”
Zendaya also praised the way Stoermer introduced her students to art, Shakespeare, and nature.
“Watching her was magical; it instilled within me a true appreciation of and devotion to the importance of education,” she said.
That influence stayed with Zendaya as her own career grew. During a March 2016 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she credited both of her parents for helping shape her values.
“I gotta give it up to my parents,” Zendaya said. “I'm really lucky to have the parents that I have.”
She added that they had always given her the values she carried with her. “I give it up to them, I give it up to my family.”
Zendaya has also said that her mother's attitude toward beauty influenced her own outlook.
“My mom didn't wear makeup; I don't think she knew that to me, it was empowering that she didn't care,” Zendaya told Vanity Fair in February 2019.
Stoermer also built a career of her own.
She runs Kizzmet Jewelry, a business that creates pieces using crystals including amethysts, hematites, and chrysocollas. Zendaya has worn her mother’s designs and promoted the business online.
Stoermer’s comments came around the same time Zendaya stepped away from social media
On Zendaya’s 30th birthday, September 2, Stoermer shared a childhood photo of her daughter and wrote, “Happy 30th birthday to the love and light of my life!! Even though you’re not on socials anymore and you won’t see this!! We just got off FaceTime!!”
Zendaya herself still shared a birthday message, thanking fans for making the final year of her 20s special.
“I can’t thank you all enough for making the last year of my twenties so beautiful,” she wrote. “I have so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to, with love as always…here's to 30!!!!!”
Before that, Zendaya had already hinted that she needed some time away.
During an interview with Fandango in March, she said, “I just hope you guys don’t get sick of me this year because I’ll tell you what; I’m disappearing for a little bit. I’m going to have to go into hiding for just a little bit.”
She later told Elle that taking breaks could be difficult for her because she quickly wanted to return to work.
“As soon as I take a break, I start to go crazy. And I'm like, ‘I need to work.’”
"People can be incredibly mean," wrote one netizen
