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Not Crazy in Love: The Controversy Over Beyoncé’s New Wax Statue in Paris

Beyoncé now has her wax double at the famous Paris museum Musée Grévin, but it’s not going down too well. Visitors have been petitioning for the music icon to get her effigy debut at Paris’ famous wax museum for quite some time. Makes sense: she’s one of the most celebrated female artists in history with 28 Grammy Awards, and she released her acclaimed eighth studio album, ‘Cowboy Carter’, earlier this year. We were a bit mixed on it, but the consensus is strongly in Bey’s favor.


Beyoncé's wax statue at Musée Grévin in Paris.

The museum went all in, decking out the statue in a gold bodysuit and positioning it cross-legged on a hoop. The lifelike sculpture of Queen B took the Musée Grévin's creative workshop team and veteran sculptor Claus Velte six months to complete. What’s most impressive is that they only worked exclusively from photographs, as usually celebrities come to pose in the flesh.


"Each photo can present a different colorimetry, as well as facial volumes, smiles, no smiles, heads up or down," states the museum's press release. However, not everyone is impressed by the final result, and it’s not hard to see why.


While Beyoncé will now be admired by the 900,000 annual visitors to the Grévin, the wax statue is already facing criticism on two fronts. First, for the supposedly excessive "whiteness" of wax Bey's skin, a snag reminiscent of the controversy surrounding The Rock last year. The Fast And Furious actor, whose real name is Dwayne Johnson, even demanded and obtained touch-ups on his statue, which was far too light for his taste.


"Who's that white woman?" one X user asked. "They bleached Beyoncé," another added. Beyoncé has yet to react, but the museum did point out that, depending on the angle of the photo (and the lighting), the color can change. Fair enough, but that hardly explains the lack of resemblance to the singer and the fact she looks like a haunted Barbie doll version of Shakira if Shakira had undergone severe and extensive surgery following a freak yachting accident.



"This wax representation of Beyoncé looks absolutely nothing like her," lamented one fan on X, while advising the museum to make some necessary changes.

As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether the Musée Grévin will take action to address these concerns. What’s clear, though, is that the portrayal of such a beloved and iconic figure demands a higher standard, and fans are eager to see an accurate representation of their Queen B.


Source: Euronews

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