Zendaya Accepts Giuliana Rancic's Apology After Making Anti-Dreadlocks Comments

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Zendaya Coleman is moving on.

After Giulianna Rancic took a moment on Tuesday's E! News to apologize to the 18-year-old former Shake It Up actress over her controversial comments about her Oscars hairstyle hairstyle that showcased dreadlocks, Zendaya took to her Instagram on Wednesday to accept the public apology.

"Giuliana, I appreciate your apology and I'm glad it was a learning experience for you and for the network," she wrote. "I hope that others negatively affected by her words can also find it in their hearts to accept her apology as well. From a quote we all know by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.' Let's be that light and spread that love."

NEWS: Zendaya Slams Giuliana's 'Ignorant Slurs' About Her Oscars Hairstyle

Giuliana has been under fire for her Fashion Police critique that she felt Zendaya smelled like "patchouli oil … or weed," referring to her dreadlocks hairstyle. Before Zendaya's eloquent response on Instagram on Monday -- in which she called the comments "not only a large stereotype but outrageously offensive" -- she admitted that she at first thought of making a much more juvenile response.

"It is important in this journey to remember that just because someone has inflicted hurt upon us, it does not give us the right to do the same," the actress also wrote in her Instagram post. "Body shaming and other hurtful tactics will never get the job done. As hard as it was to stop MYSELF from being ignorant and from posting the first mean words that came to my mind because I was hurt, I had to think about the bigger picture. Instead I sat for two hours on my phone, doing my research and formulating an educated response."

She also explained why it was so important for her to speak up for herself.

"Studies have shown that even though we try to act without prejudice, sometimes it's just hidden inside us due to our past or surroundings," she explained. "That hidden prejudice is often influential in our actions. It's our job to spot these issues within others and ourselves and destroy them before they become hurtful. I have so many people looking up to me, that I couldn't be scared, wait it out, nor could I just stand up for me; I had to do it for WE."

After first apologizing on Twitter -- claiming that her comments were not about race but rather a "bohemian chic look" -- Giuliana took full responsibility for the comments on Tuesday.

"I want to say to Zendaya that I am so sincerely sorry," she said. "I didn't intend to hurt anybody, but I've learned it's not my intent that matters. It's the result."

Since then, a number of celebrities have taken to Twitter to express their support for Zendaya, including Kerry Washington, Chloe Moretz, Khloe Kardashian, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Viola Davis.

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Earlier this month, Zendaya talked to ET at the GRAMMYS, where she actually debuted a very different 'do -- a chic pixie cut!

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