New Delhi: Zendaya’s ‘method dressing’ on the red carpet often makes headlines. But one of her recent looks for The Odyssey event in London has sparked criticism from archaeologists.
At the London photocall on 12 July for the Christopher Nolan film, Zendaya wore ancient gold discs dating back 2,000 to 3,000 years as earrings. The discs were converted into contemporary jewellery using 18-karat yellow gold, and were surrounded by a thin halo of diamonds. The actor also wore a custom white Jacquemus halter gown, evoking a Grecian tunic.
However, the gold discs were not from ancient Greece. According to the jeweller Barron London, they are from ancient Iran. The earrings were listed as “Ziwiye gold medallion plaques, circa 1st millennium BC Iran” on the website.
The uncertain provenance of the ornaments soon triggered criticism for Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach from archaeologists.
“Zendaya’s Odyssey premiere earrings are seemingly first millennium BCE gold adornment discs turned into earrings, and we know nothing else about their provenance, meaning their journey from their homeland, which is probably Iran,” said archaeology content creator ‘Dr Z’ in a recent reel.
Designed by Glenn Spiro in 2018, the earrings were acquired by Barron London in 2020.
“These artefacts are likely looted from Iran and they are gracing the ears of an American actress—the country that just bombed Iran… bruh,” Z added.
‘Same as Kim K and Marilyn dress’
“Would you be caring this much about these artefacts if they had not been presented to you as gold earrings at a movie premiere and were instead simply part of a display case in the British Museum?” said archaeology content creator Annelise Baer.
She argued that the use of the ancient artefacts in jewellery turned them from a “static object” in a museum into a conversation starter about the “ethics of owning antiquities”. In a previous video, Baer said she was “obsessed” with Zendaya wearing the discs.
Several commenters called it a “colonialist, capitalist” take on looting.
“As an archaeologist, I am completely against this ‘trend’ of wearing real artifacts (that were almost certainly looted) as jewelry. It perpetuates the illegal trade of cultural materials and discredits the work done by heritage professionals to ethically preserve and protect cultural objects,” replied archaeologist Lauren Lien.
Many called for an apology from Zendaya and Roach, arguing that the pair could have used a replica.
“To me this is the same as letting Kim K wear the dress that was Marilyn Monroe’s and then it breaking,” read a comment.
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