Zendaya has sparked an online etiquette debate after remaining seated while greeting Brigitte Macron at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week.
The Spider-Man actress was seated in the front row at the Louvre when Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, came over to speak with her.
Footage appears to show Zendaya engaged in conversation with another guest and initially unaware of Brigitte’s arrival. She then looked up, smiled and acknowledged her.
Zendaya greeted Brigitte without rising from her seat, saying, “Hello, pleasure to meet you,” before shaking her hand. The moment quickly divided social media users, with many questioning whether standing would have been more respectful.
One X user posted the video alongside the message: “Zendaya, girl…. you gotta get up when the First Lady of France is trying to say hello to you.” The clip attracted 27,000 likes and prompted a lively discussion in the replies.
Several commenters said the issue was about general courtesy rather than Brigitte’s public position, arguing: “You stand when you greet anyone, basic manners.”
Zendaya has faced criticism online after greeting Brigitte Macron while seated at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week.
“Definitely rude! Never shake someone’s hand while seated! Guess she didn’t learn that,” another person wrote.
A further critic commented that the exchange reflected a decline in traditional etiquette among younger generations, while describing Zendaya’s decision not to stand as “an unintentional power move.”
Some users also noted that Zendaya had remained seated moments earlier when Bernard Arnault, chief executive of LVMH—the luxury group that owns Louis Vuitton—stopped to greet her.
“Even not getting up to shake Mr Arnault’s hand—he owns LVMH,” one X user wrote, adding that the billionaire “owns the whole fashion industry.”
Another commenter argued that standing is customary when greeting an older person or someone of higher status, particularly when the guest is a first lady or the executive behind the brand hosting the event.
However, Zendaya’s supporters questioned why the actress was expected to stand in the first place.
“Why? Zendaya is not a foreign dignitary nor a citizen of France,” one person replied.
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Another fan said they were not concerned by strict protocol, noting that Brigitte had not been formally introduced as the First Lady of France at the event. “What matters to me is she was polite and gave her a sweet smile,” the fan wrote on X, adding that genuine reactions were preferable to a forced display of respect at a fashion show.
Others defended Zendaya by suggesting she had only a brief moment to respond and appeared to have been caught off guard. “No big deal,” one supporter concluded.
The Spider-Man star was seated in the front row at the Louvre when Brigitte Macron approached during the Louis Vuitton runway presentation.
Zendaya also remained seated when Bernard Arnault, the LVMH chief executive whose group owns Louis Vuitton, greeted her shortly before Brigitte Macron.
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What does it say about modern manners when celebrities don¿t stand to greet prominent guests?
‘Think maybe they should have introduced rather than just walked up to say hi. It’s hard to say someone has bad manners when they are don’t instantly realise who is approaching them’ agreed one more.
The Louis Vuitton show is the last major presentation of Paris Fashion Week, as the run of catwalks came to an end on Tuesday night.
It also finalises the wider Fashion Week schedule, which has been hosted in New York, London and Milan before arriving in Paris.
Zendaya looked chic in classic blue jeans with an elevated white ruffled jacket with a crop top for the VIP-packed show, which also saw actresses Emma Stone, Saoirse Ronan and Ana de Armas sitting front row.
The show was hosted at the Louvre’s Cour Carrée, which is the large, perfectly symmetrical square courtyard at the eastern end of the Louvre Palace in the city.
For spring/summer 2027, Vuitton’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquiere sent out a collection steeped in historical references but still rooted in modernity.
The tailoring was particularly strong, with sharp black trouser suits offset by softer looks including white and pale pink slip dresses.
It was back to the Eighties when it came to the music, too, with Ghesquiere choosing Tom Jones’s cover of the 1986 Prince hit Kiss as the soundtrack to his show.
