Beyoncé figure at Grevin Museum sparks ‘whitewashing’ controversy

Bintano
6 Min Read

A new waxwork figure of Beyoncé, which was unveiled at the Grevin Museum in Paris on Thursday, has sparked outrage among fans who claim she has been ‘whitewashed’ and like ‘anything but’ the singer.

It comes just nine months after Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson asked for ‘important changes’ to be made after his figure was displayed there in October 2023.

The actor, 52, took to social media to reveal he would be contacting The Musée Grévin in Paris after the controversial waxwork under heavy criticism from fans.

Dwayne and his fans have commented on the waxwork’s seemingly lighter skin tone, with the star telling how he will be asking for the skin color to be ‘updated’.

Now, less than a year later, fans of Beyoncé are saying the same thing about her new wax figure.

A new waxwork figure of Beyoncé, which was unveiled at the Grevin Museum in Paris on Thursday, has sparked outrage among fans who claim she looks 'white' and like 'anything but' the singer

A new waxwork figure of Beyoncé, which was unveiled at the Grevin Museum in Paris on Thursday, has sparked outrage among fans who claim she looks ‘white’ and like ‘anything but’ the singer

Onlookers watched as the statue depicting the legendary American singer, 42, was revealed for the first time

Do YOU think the wax figure looks like Beyoncé?

Onlookers watched as the statue depicting the legendary American singer, 42, was revealed for the first time on Thursday (LEFT)

It comes just nine months after Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson asked for 'important changes' to be made after his figure was displayed in October 2023

It comes just nine months after Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson asked for ‘important changes’ to be made after his figure was displayed in October 2023

Poll

Do YOU think the new wax figure looks like Beyoncé?

Onlookers watched as the statue depicting the legendary American singer, 42, was revealed for the first time on Thursday.

It has joined the likes of Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie, and Christiano Ronaldo at the popular French museum, which is home to more than 500 famous figures.

The Texas Hold ‘Em singer’s wax self is wearing a busty sequin silver dress complete with a long cape and silver heels.

The statue of Beyoncé, real name Giselle Knowles-Carter, is looking off to the side with one arm behind her head and the other positioned on her crossed legs.

While the figure bears many glamorous similarities to the star, there has been a lot of backlash on social media about certain features, including the colour of her skin.

Outraged X (formerly Twitter) users penned: ‘So according to the Grevin Museum in Paris That’s Beyoncé.’

‘Well it’s not her.’ 

‘Ma’am that’s Jade from Little Mix.’ 

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The Texas Hold ‘Em singer’s wax self is wearing a busty sequin silver dress complete with a long cape and silver heels

The Rock broke his silence on his figure shortly after it was revealed last year, by sharing an Instagram to poke fun at it

He added that he was going to reach out to the museum to have the artwork 'updated' with some 'important details and improvements' (pictured in September 2023)

The Rock broke his silence on his figure shortly after it was revealed last year, by sharing an Instagram to poke fun at it – but added that he seeks to reach out to the museum to have the artwork ‘updated’ with some ‘important details and improvements’

The statue of Beyoncé, real name Giselle Knowles-Carter, is looking off to the side with one arm behind her head and the other positioned on her crossed legs

The statue of Beyoncé, real name Giselle Knowles-Carter, is looking off to the side with one arm behind her head and the other positioned on her crossed legs

‘There’s no point whitewashing them to this extent. If Bey can sometimes give the impression of having a lighter complexion, it is because of the lighting of her stage and her makeup. But this is clearly (if I dare say) too much, once again…’ 

‘Who is that?’

‘Oh god.’ 

‘It’s Iggy Azalea if they want, but certainly not Beyoncé.’ 

‘Who tf is that???’ 

‘Why is she white that’s Bianca.’  

‘Beyoncé at the Grévin Museum, she’s white.’ 

‘It’s anything but Beyoncé.’ 

‘Don’t p***me off, wtf is that.’

‘Baby who is this that’s not Beyonce.’

The Texas Hold 'Em singer's wax self is wearing a busty sequin silver dress complete with a long cape and silver heels

The Texas Hold ‘Em singer’s wax self is wearing a busty sequin silver dress complete with a long cape and silver heels

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While the figure bears many glamorous similarities to the star, there has been a lot of backlash on social media about certain features, including the colour of her skin

While the figure bears many glamorous similarities to the star, there has been a lot of backlash on social media about certain features, including the colour of her skin

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's new waxwork figure has since been unveiled

The original was met with claims of 'whitewashing'

 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s new waxwork figure (left) has since been unveiled after the original (right) was met with claims of ‘whitewashing’

The Rock broke his silence on his controversial figure shortly after it was revealed last year, by sharing an Instagram to poke fun at it.

On a more serious note, he added that he was going to reach out to the museum to have the artwork ‘updated’ with some ‘important details and improvements’.

The Jumanji star wrote: ‘I knew my boy @jamesjeffersonj had this Rock wax statue in his roasting crosshairs. Legit belly laughed at this.

‘For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at “updating” my wax figure here with some important details and improvements – starting with my skin color.’

He concluded, ‘And next time I’m in Paris, I’ll stop in and have a drink with myself,’ adding a wink emoji.

The post, which received over 150,000 likes, saw fans express both their disappointment and confusion at the waxwork.

The Grévin Museum has since unveiled the updated figure, which is open to the public. The Rock is yet to comment on the changes. 

MailOnline has contacted The Grévin Museum for a response.

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