Zendaya recently sparked backlash after wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian gold medallions as earrings when promoting Christopher Nolan's film The Odyssey in London. The actress, who plays Athena in the new blockbuster, accessorised her white Jacquemus gown at the London photocall with large gold earrings. These earrings were made from Iranian gold medallions dating back to the 1st millennium BC, making them around 3,000 years old. They were mounted by Glen Spiro, a London-based jeweler, with 18k yellow gold diamonds, as part of his line of turning artefacts into jewelry. Historians, archaeologists, and social media critics condemned Zendaya's look, calling it "colonialism chic. People report that the priceless artefacts belong in museums rather than on a red carpet. London-based writer Zirrar Ali called out celebrities, particularly in the Western world, as being "largely deaf to questions of ethics and history when it comes to the Global South."
Published: July 18, 2026 3:25 pm
Source: Yahoo — Read original