Zendaya faced backlash online after she remained seated during an interaction with Brigitte Macron, the wife of French president Emmanuel Macron, at Paris Fashion Week's Louis Vuitton show. The Dune actress was seen smiling up at Brigitte, who stood over her wearing a beige jacket.
Zendaya wore a white tank top, blue jeans and a fluffy white jacket around her shoulders, with her hair in a curly pixie cut and her hands in her lap. She was heard saying: "Hello, pleasure to meet you," before shaking Brigitte's hand while sitting down.
Fans criticise seated greeting
The moment was caught on camera and posted on X/Twitter with the caption: "Zendaya, girl...you gotta get up when the First Lady of France is trying to say hello to you." Critics and fans alike gathered online to scorn her behaviour.
One commenter said: "You stand when you greet anyone, basic manners," while another added: "Definitely rude! Never shake someone’s hand while seated! Guess she didn’t learn that." A third wrote: "This is the first time I'm seeing for myself that Gen Z (no pun) really doesn’t have those basic manners anymore but what an unintentional power move to not get up."
Defenders point to status
Others noted that Zendaya also did not stand when Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH who own Louis Vuitton, greeted her. One commenter said: "That dude is the owner of the LVMH group, that's who she should stand for, he owns the whole fashion industry."
Another added: "It is customary to get up to greet an older person or who has a higher status especially when they approach you. Even more so when it comes to the first lady and the man who owns the brand you represent."
Fans defend the actress
However, many fans rushed to defend Zendaya, pointing out that she is "not a foreign dignitary" and "not a citizen of France." One person said it "looks like she was caught off guard.. no big deal."
