Zendaya’s mother, Claire Stoermer, has condemned cruel comments about her appearance, describing the abuse as “sad and frustrating” in a message shared on Instagram.
The 62-year-old former teacher addressed the remarks after coming across a post featuring photographs of herself and her daughter over the years. Stoermer said she understood why some people felt compelled to leave the platform for the sake of their mental health.
“If I was to go and read all the comments on this post about myself, I could feel really bad,” she wrote. “There are some terrible, horrible comments, I did read some of them.”
Stoermer added that she was grateful she no longer took such criticism personally, saying that might not always have been the case.
“Once upon a time I may have,” she said. “And if I was a young person, I know I definitely would have. It’s sad and frustrating.”
She ended the message by referring to The Four Agreements, a self-help book by Don Miguel Ruiz, and its advice not to take anything personally.
Stoermer’s comments came shortly after she shared a childhood photograph of Zendaya to mark her daughter’s 30th birthday on 1 September. In the accompanying post, she indicated that the actress had stepped away from social media, although Zendaya later returned to Instagram to thank fans for their birthday messages. ([aol.com](https://www.aol.com/articles/zendayas-mom-fires-back-horrible-174056000.html))
Zendaya has long spoken warmly about her mother, who taught in underfunded schools in Oakland, California. She has credited Stoermer with introducing her to the arts and instilling in her a deep respect for education.
Stoermer now runs Kizzmet Jewelry, a company whose pieces are regularly worn by her daughter. She shares Zendaya with Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, who managed the actress during her early Disney Channel career.
The couple divorced when Zendaya was a child but have remained close. Zendaya has previously described her parents as having “always instilled in me those core values” that she carries through her life.
