Hold up!
Madame Tussauds just unveiled a brand new wax figure of Beyoncé, but the “Crazy in Love” vibes are reserved for the sculptors because the Beyhive is buzzing with frustration over the figure’s resemblance (or lack thereof) to Queen Bey.
Fans are particularly fired up about the apparent whitewashing of the “Texas Hold Em” singer’s skin tone.
Girl who is this white woman pic.twitter.com/xJNvuEeMON
— paulie ⚓️ (@ratedpaulie) July 4, 2024
and
that’s not beyoncé that’s bernice
— ִֶָ#maurday (@kaliuched) July 4, 2024
and
why is she whiter than taylor swift ????
— ????????mao remembers it (@lltoowelltv) July 4, 2024
and
Wish Beyoncé. (Also why is she light skin?) pic.twitter.com/Bx88mnM1fE
— E-Man (@WigginsWick22) July 4, 2024
and
It’s kinda giving Mariah circa 97 in her Butterfly era. pic.twitter.com/fO4z29vdhx
— Grace???????? (@grace_hackney) July 4, 2024
and
Who approved this ? That is not Beyoncé. Almost looks like they’re intentionality creating these opposite looking wax figures to stir up controversy.
— 0xFb47????????⚙️ (@0xFb47) July 4, 2024
and
— Mela Yela (@_melayela_) July 4, 2024
Madame Tussauds has yet to comment on the backlash.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time the museum has faced criticism for its portrayal of the 42-year-old Grammy winner.
In 2017, a Beyoncé statue in Madame Tussauds New York was slammed for its facial features, hair, and, notably, its “too-light skin” tone, even inspiring the hashtag #TussaudsSoWhite.
At that time, the museum responded to the hubbub: “At Madame Tussauds, our talented team of sculptors take every effort to ensure we accurately color match all of our wax figures to the celebrity being depicted.”
“Lighting within the attraction combined with flash photography may distort and misrepresent the color of our wax figures, which is something our sculptors are unable to account for at the production stage,” they added.
Unfortunately, Beyoncé’s skin tone has long been a topic of discussion throughout her career.
Last year, her mother, Tina Knowles, shut down trolls accusing Beyoncé of “bleaching” or trying to appear white, emphasizing that “Beyoncé is a brown skin girl sometimes more or less light. A brown skin girl, it’s [sic] more than a skin color. It’s a culture, a pride, a strength.”
In 2019, Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles, also weighed in, suggesting that her lighter skin tone had benefited her career.
