Zendaya faces backlash for wearing ancient Iranian jewellery at Odyssey event

Zendaya faces backlash for wearing ancient: ian Jewellery Wanderstayfinder.com – Zendaya faces backlash for wearing a pair of earrings made from ancient

Zendaya Faces Backlash for Wearing Ancient Iranian Jewellery

Wanderstayfinder.com – Zendaya faces backlash for wearing a pair of earrings made from ancient Iranian artefacts at a London photocall for Christopher Nolan’s new film, The Odyssey. The actress, who portrays the goddess Athena in the movie, wore the historic pieces during the film’s press tour, sparking controversy over the use of culturally significant objects as fashion accessories. The earrings, dating back to 700BC, have been separated from their homeland and are now being worn as promotional items for a Hollywood production.

Archaeologists Criticise Use of Artefacts

The backlash was swift, with archaeologists criticising the use of precious and culturally significant artefacts as accessories in the promotion of a Hollywood film, claiming it was a “hijacking” of Iran’s contributions to humanity. The earrings belong to Barron London, a Mayfair-based gallery and dealer whose website states: “With a reputation for discretion, the gallery works privately with collectors, estates and institutions to uncover and place pieces of significance.” According to a formal statement from Barron the artefacts, which were bought from another London jeweller, Glenn Spiro, in 2025, “are attributed to the Ziwiye hoard, discovered in north-western Iran in the late 1940s”. The hoard was a trove of gold, silver, bronze and terracotta found in 1947 and looted by shepherds.

“There is not enough cultural knowledge and cultural sensibility among those who dress [celebrities], those who accessorise them, those who put them up as the symbols of beauty and power and an expression of the movie’s high-mindedness.” — Prof Sussan Babaie, Iranian-born art historian and Courtauld Institute professor

According to a 2015 research paper, the surviving pieces were “sold in antique markets out of Iran in the 1960s” and “are now scattered in different museums and private collections”. Prof Sussan Babaie, an Iranian-born art historian and Courtauld Institute professor, said it was “shocking to see that no one thought maybe this is not a good idea”. Expressing “outrage” that Zendaya was wearing the ancient objects, she said: “There is not enough cultural knowledge and cultural sensibility among those who dress [celebrities], those who accessorise them, those who put them up as the symbols of beauty and power and an expression of the movie’s high-mindedness.” Representatives for Zendaya and her stylist have been contacted for comment.

Broader Context of Cultural Appropriation

The row comes amid scrutiny of western institutions that hold ancient artefacts. The British Museum has faced criticism over its looted Benin bronzes, sacred Ethiopian altar tablets and the Parthenon marbles. Kim Kardashian wore a dress that belonged to Marilyn Monroe at the Met Gala in 2022.

As Scott Fortner, who has a collection of Monroe artefacts, told the BBC at the time: “When you buy something of such significance, you really need to stick to your word to protect and preserve it … and clearly that didn’t happen.” The gown’s owners denied that any damage had been done to the dress. Dr Annelise Baer, an archaeologist and producer whose video about Zendaya’s earrings garnered criticism for what some perceived as condoning the use of the artefacts, said the main ethical issue was “that the earrings themselves are made out of looted antiquities”. She added: “Zendaya wearing them is kind of a secondary fact … but because she has worn them on a red carpet for a major international movie premiere, this has suddenly put all of that into the public eye in a way that we haven’t really seen before.” According to Barron’s statement, the earrings “are responsibly stewarded in accordance with their documented provenance and all applicable legal requirements”.

Babaie said the jewellery probably had “extremely important spiritual connotations”, adding: “These are objects that are not meant to be displayed as accessories… It’s human heritage. It’s world heritage, not just accessories.” The effect, she said, was to strip the earrings “of all meaning”. It is, she claims, “hijacking, flattening and transforming [ancient Iran’s] cultural contributions to humanity”.

The timing is also causing further anger. Babaie highlighted a “maddening” situation in which the press tour for The Odyssey is “glamourising the antiquities of Iran … just as billions of American dollars are being used to bomb Iran”, destroying sites of cultural and historical interest. In its statement, Barron added: “The intention behind the loan was never commercial. It was to celebrate the remarkable artistry of ancient Persian goldsmiths and to encourage wider appreciation of one of the world’s great artistic traditions. At a time when Iran is so often represented through the lens of contemporary politics, we hope these earrings can also remind audiences of the country’s profound cultural, artistic and historical legacy.” The Odyssey has also been criticised over one of its filming locations. Sahrawi film-makers are calling for a boycott of the movie over the use of the city of Dakhla in occupied Western Sahara – a stretch of land under Moroccan control sometimes referred to as “Africa’s last colony”.