Zendaya’s Red Hair Has a Much Bigger Meaning

Zendaya is having quite a year. Her new HBO show Euphoria premiered this week and she just kicked off the press tour for her upcoming movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home. The 22-year-old debuted gorgeous crimson red hair in London alongside fellow cast members that include Spider-man himself Tom Holland. The Spider-man franchise just might be the biggest project of her career and she already looks like a huge movie star.

Zendaya’s shiny red mane had everyone wondering if the rumors were true. Is she playing Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid? Nope—at least, not yet. It’s a tribute to Mary Jane “MJ” Watson from the Spider-man comics, Zendaya explained on Twitter. While her name is Michelle in Spider-man: Homecoming, she did say her “friends call her MJ” at the end of the movie. Michelle is actually MJ? It would seem so.

Zendaya gave us another clue on Instagram to the thinking behind her new hair. “Face it, Tiger…”, she wrote. If you’re familiar with the Spider-man comics, you’d know that’s what MJ said when she first met Peter Parker.

Source: Instagram

I first assumed the red hair was a wig since Zendaya loves to switch up her hair with temporary pieces. She recently tried light copper hair with bangs for the Euphoria premiere and she rocked her naturally curly hair during Paris Fashion Week just a few months ago. At this year’s Met Gala, she went for golden blonde hair for her Cinderella moment. Girl loves a theme.

Source: Instagram

But when a fan inquired if her hair was her own or a wig, Zendaya tweeted that she dyed it.

https://twitter.com/Zendaya/status/1140587597288345601

That didn’t stop people from wondering if the red dye still means Ariel is in the pipeline. “Although flattering this is and always has been a rumor lol,” she wrote.

Hey, fans (like us), can dream.