American actor Zendaya has come under fire from historians and archaeologists after wearing 3,000-year-old Iranian earrings on the red carpet, with experts telling The New Arab the choice had reflected "Orientalist practices" and a disregard for the cultural heritage of the Global South
The gold earrings, believed to date to the first millennium BCE and to originate from ancient Iran, were one of the most talked-about elements of Zendaya's appearance at the London premiere of The Odyssey last week.
They were sourced by Barron London, a Mayfair-based dealer specialising in antique jewellery, before being remounted with diamonds and 18-karat yellow gold. The jeweller describes them as "a pair of Ziwiye gold medallion plaques, circa first millennium BC Iran. Mounted by Glenn Spiro with diamonds in yellow gold".
“I find Western celebrities, who are part of the broader Western discourse in all arenas and therefore an extension of the cultural dialogue between East and West, to be largely deaf to questions of ethics and history when it comes to the Global South," Zirrar Ali, London-based author and expert on Islamic history, art, and architecture, told The New Arab.
"Adorning artefacts, whether from museums or private collections, is often seen as harmless, but can in fact constitute a display of power and domination: one culture asserting ownership over the heritage of another,” he added.
He said the move from Zendaya was "distasteful", but "in line with Orientalist practices".
The New Arab reached out to Barron London for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
According to Ali, the West often sees the ancient history of Iran, Arabia, and the rich history of the East more broadly as entirely detached from the modern nation-states of Iran, Iraq, and others, which may justify why the jewellery choice was made while the US bombs Iran.
However, he condemned the move, noting that it is deeply problematic.
“The practice of taking jewellery and other artefacts, especially those associated with the royal courts of great empires of the past, the Mughals, the Safavids, and others, and then allowing actors and celebrities to adorn them sends a clear message: not only will we not return what we took from you, because we consider ourselves more worthy custodians, but we also continue to occupy the symbolic position of monarchs and rulers over the lands from which these artefacts were removed,” he explained.
The earrings have also sparked fierce debate on social media, with archaeologists and heritage campaigners questioning both their provenance and the ethics of wearing ancient artefacts as fashion accessories.
An Instagram creator with 43,000 followers who posts archaeology content under the handle @dr_archaeology called Zendaya's choice "gross", adding: "So Zendaya’s Odyssey premiere earrings are seemingly first millennium BC gold adornment discs turned into earrings and we know nothing else about their provenance meaning their journey from their homeland which is probably Iran…"
She notes that the jeweller often acquires real artefacts from the Middle East and West Africa by “means undisclosed”.
“Bad taste in mouth,” she adds. “…These pieces are likely looted from Iran and they are gracing the ears of an American actress from a country that just bombed Iran…also I think the irony of wearing historical jewellery to a movie that is an absolute train wreck of anachronistic language, armour, gender roles, pants, is a funny choice.”
She added: “So why not replicas? Because let’s be real the point of these earrings is not to showcase legitimate ancient artistry, it is to fetishize the past, to be a commodity, stolen from the elite, circulated illegally, and immorally…this is about class signalling - fellow creators, let’s not hype this type of commodity fetishism, you are aware it drives the antiquities black market which hurts cultural groups and local people."
The choice of jewellery also divided opinion, with many noting that while the earrings are of Iranian origin, Zendaya's look was inspired by her role as Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.
“Colonisation chic,” one person commented on a video of Zendaya wearing the earrings on Instagram.
“It belongs in a museum,” another said, while another wrote: “I will not pay money to watch the new Odyssey movie.”
The latest controversy comes after American actor Margot Robbie also came under fire in January for wearing the Taj Mahal Diamond on the red carpet for the premiere of Wuthering Heights in Los Angeles.
The necklace, valued at $8.8 million, features a diamond with a Parsi inscription reading "Love is Everlasting". Many criticised Robbie for failing to mention its origins or how it was previously acquired by Elizabeth Taylor and later Cartier.