Beyonce wax figure at Madame Tussauds accused of 'whitewashing' singer

Madame Tussauds say a combination of lighting in the museum and flash photography made the figure look lighter

Beyoncé and Jay Z attend Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena on June 16, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller/Getty)

A new wax figure claiming to portray Beyonce has caused some consternation on social media, mostly due to the fact that it looks nothing like her.

Unveiled at Madame Tussauds in New York, the figure looks more like a bizarre combination of Mariah Carey, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.

One disapproving fan wrote: "It's a good thing you're not talking about *Beyonce cause this white woman is definitely not her."

This is not the first time a wax museum has got it wrong when it comes to a likeness of the Lemonade artist.

Another fan posted a theory that the artists making the sculptures have actually never seen the singer.

Madame Tussauds defended the figure to TMZ in a statement. A spokesperson said: "Our talented team of sculptors takes every effort to ensure we accurately colour match all of our wax figures to the celebrity being depicted.

"Lighting within the attraction combined with flash photography may distort and misrepresent the colour of our wax figures."

Beyonce recently gave birth to twins Sir and Rumi Carter. She revealed the first picture of them on Instagram, which has received almost 10 million likes.

As well as the twins, a girl and a boy, she and husband Jay-Z are parents to five-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.