Zendaya waxwork at Madame Tussauds in London divides fans
"Why does Zendaya’s wax figure look like a flight attendant?"
By Joe Goggins
A waxwork of Zendaya has been unveiled in London – with opinion split among her fans on social media.
The life-sized likeness of the ‘Euphoria’ star, decked out in a pink trouser suit, is based on her appearance on the red carpet at the 2016 ‘To the Rescue’ gala for the Humane Society of the United States. It went on display to the public at Madame Tussauds in London today (February 11), in the gallery’s London Party area.
The museum’s general manager, Tim Waters, was effusive in his praise for their latest addition. “Zendaya just exudes cool,” he said, “Not only that, she uses her celebrity status to join conversations, thoughtfully, on important social issues. She is unapologetically herself – and we, along with her fans, love that about her. With rumours circulating that Zendaya is soon to become a Londoner herself, the timing to pay homage to her at Madame Tussauds London could not be better.”
On social media, though, fans of the ‘Spider-Man’ star were less convinced, with some pointing out a perceived lack of facial likeness and others questioning her outfit. “It’s so close yet so far,” said @ItsZaeok, in a post that had racked up more than 300,000 likes at the time of writing.
Another user, @Idpreferyoudead, said: “The wax version of Zendaya looks like she wants to speak to the manager,” presumably in reference to the statue’s pose, with hand on hip. Elsewhere, the statue’s dress sense came in for criticism, too. “Why does Zendaya’s wax figure look like a flight attendant,” queried @nabielah_smada.
The unveiling of Zendaya’s waxwork comes in the same week as she hit back at criticism of ‘Euphoria’ as glamourising drug use. The HBO series, currently airing on Sky Atlantic in the UK, stars Zendaya as teenage addict Rue Bennett. “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing,” she told Entertainment Weekly.
“If anything, the feeling behind ‘Euphoria’, or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain. And maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.”