Zendaya’s mother Claire Stoermer has spoken out about the cruel comments she has received online, saying she understands why people step away from social media for their mental health.
Claire addressed the criticism on Instagram Stories after coming across a post showing photos of her and Zendaya over the years. She shared a screenshot of the post and revealed that she had read some of the comments about her appearance.
“There are some terrible, horrible comments, I did read some of them,” she wrote, adding that she was thankful she no longer takes such remarks personally.
Claire admitted that the criticism might have affected her differently in the past, particularly when she was younger.
“Once upon a time I may have. And if I was a young person, I know I definitely would have,” she wrote. “It’s sad and frustrating.”
She also explained that seeing the comments made her understand why some people choose to leave Instagram to protect their mental health.
Claire ended her message by referring to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and one of its principles, “don’t take anything personally”.
“It has nothing to do with you,” she wrote.
Her comments came days after Zendaya celebrated her 30th birthday. Claire marked the occasion on Instagram with a childhood photo of her daughter and revealed that Zendaya had stepped away from social media.
“Happy 30th birthday to the love and light of my life,” she wrote, adding that Zendaya was “not on socials anymore”.
Zendaya later briefly returned to Instagram to thank fans for their birthday messages, sharing another childhood photo and saying she had “so much to be grateful for and so much to look forward to”.
This is not the first time the family has faced comments about their appearance. In 2015, Zendaya publicly defended her parents after an X user insulted their looks, describing them as “two of the most selfless people in the world”.
Claire’s latest message focused less on responding directly to those behind the comments and more on refusing to let online criticism affect how she sees herself.
Source: Khaleej Times
