As Dune: Part Two’s grand press tour continues, the celebrated leads of the film — Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet — took Asia by storm with their impeccable style and presence.
The two captivated fans with their striking fashion choices and undeniable chemistry during their recent stop in Seoul. Zendaya and Timothée matched as they wore leather overalls in different colors during a press event earlier this week for the upcoming Denis Villeneuve-directed movie.
While fans loved their coordinated fashion choices, some raised concerns online about the Korean media's portrayal of Zendaya. Accusations came up on social media about certain photographs and reports seemingly whitewashing Zendaya's appearance.
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet made a coordinated fashion choice at their press event in Seoul
The term "whitewashing" refers to the practice of altering the appearance of a person of color or a specific ethnic background. This practice, used in the media and entertainment industry, dilutes or erases the cultural identity of the actor, model, or artist.
After Zendaya made her appearance at the press event in Seoul, some fans pointed fingers at the Korean media and accused them of white-washing the actress.
“Not even Zendaya is safe from Korean's weird obsession with whitewashing,” one person wrote on social media, while another added, “They will whitewash anyone and everyone…”
“I can tell this is a picture taken by a Korean-ent news outlet because why did they whitewash Zendaya like this?” another said.
"Why did they whitewash Zendaya like this?" fans asked on social media
While Zendaya continues bringing dazzling looks on the grand press tour of the movie, many praised the actress and her stylist Law Roach for their bold and innovative style choices.
“Law is the perfect fashion icon, Zendaya is the most effortless muse. Just such an iconic duo,” one said.
Another wrote, “DID IT AGAIN LAW! Making the queen look like an absolute goddess.”
Fans praised Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach for their bold style choices
At another press event in Seoul, Zendaya kept up her reputation of serving up headline-making style statements by wearing a gray wool jacket with red embellishments, paired with a matching skirt from the Givenchy Fall-Winter 1999 collection by Alexander McQueen.
Law was once again praised for Zendaya’s look.
“How are you giving us such timeless pieces & making them relevant again,” one wrote on Instagram.
“Thank you for giving the people what they want,” another said.