'Tone deaf' Zendaya under fire after wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings on Odyssey press tour
The actress donned a pair of ancient Iranian earrings while in London promoting the Christopher Nolan epic earlier this month
Zendaya has come under fire after wearing a 3,000-year-old pair of earrings from ancient Iran during a press tour for The Odyssey.
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The actress, who stars as Athena in Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the Ancient Greek epic, wore the ancient jewellery at a photocall in London earlier this month.
The controversial artefacts, which date back to 700BC, were discovered in north-western Iran in 1947 and belong to the Ziwiye hoard.
The treasure trove containing gold, silver, and ivory was looted by shepherds with its pieces now scattered among museums and antiques dealers. '
The earrings were loaned by Barron London, a gallery and dealer based in Mayfair.
Courtauld Institute professor Sussan Babaie told The Guardian that seeing Zendaya wear the ancient objects was "shocking" and "not a good idea".
She added that the earrings likely had “extremely important spiritual connotations”, describing them as objects of "world heritage" which are "not meant to be displayed as accessories".
Babaie accused the press tour of the Odyssey of “glamourising" Iran's ancient culture while at the same time "billions of American dollars are being used to bomb Iran”.
Zendaya is not the first Hollywood star to face backlash for donning valuable objects for fashion purposes.
Kim Kardashian sparked fury when she wore a dress once worn by Marilyn Monroe at the 2022 Met Gala.
The famous dress, which had been worn by the blonde bombshell to sing "Happy Birthday" to US President John F Kennedy in 1962, made headlines when it sold at auction for a a record-breaking $4.8 million (£3.6mn) in 2016.
It was claimed at the time that the gown was left damaged, with images showing stretched fabric, new holes and crystals hanging loose - something the gown’s owners have denied.
The Odyssey has also been criticised over the choice of some filming locations.
Sahrawi film-makers are calling for a boycott of the film after recording scenes in the city of Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara.
The stretch of land under Moroccan control sometimes referred to as “Africa’s last colony”.
Zendaya's controversial fashion choice has divided opinion on social media.
But another person jumped to the defence of the star: "They look cool and aren’t any more ethically questionable than any of the mined diamonds worn by half the world.
Another said: "Can we not lend artifacts [sic] and dresses and whatever else belongs in a museum because some celebrity wants to wear it ?!"
One fan wrote on X: "I love Zendaya, just watched The Drama and she's a phenomenal actress, but wearing earrings from a country USA is currently bombing is tone-deaf."
But another person jumped to the defence of the star: "They look cool and aren’t any more ethically questionable than any of the mined diamonds worn by half the world.
"I’m assuming she paid a hefty price to wear them for an evening and took excellent care of them. Probably a better educational value than sitting behind glass in a stuffy museum."