Jane Austen fans were ready to lose themselves in a lavish new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility until one tiny detail on the movie’s latest poster pulled them straight out of the Georgian era.
Directed by Georgia Oakley, the period drama’s first trailer received mixed reactions, with many viewers noting its alleged lack of historical accuracy.
Highlights
- Jane Austen fans spot a surprising detail in the new Sense and Sensibility poster.
- The adaptation is facing fresh scrutiny over its approach to period authenticity.
- Director Georgia Oakley explained her modern take on Austen’s beloved classic.
Now, fans have spotted what they believe to be modern cosmetic work in a new poster, which is quickly becoming an unexpected distraction from the film’s period aesthetic.
As reactions pile up online, one X user summed up the mood bluntly:
“They can't be serious.”
Fans call out modern cosmetic work on the cast of new Jane Austen period drama
A new film adaptation of Jane Austen’s first novel, Sense and Sensibility, was announced in June 2025. That same month, Daisy Edgar-Jones was cast as Elinor Dashwood, while Esmé Creed-Miles was tapped to play her sister Marianne.
On August 25, a new poster featuring the on-screen sisters was released and garnered more than 2.5 million views in less than 24 hours. However, much of the attention focused on one detail that social media users quickly noticed.
On X, some users speculated that Creed-Miles’ fuller-looking lips were the result of plastic surgery, arguing that her appearance felt out of place in the film’s period setting.
Some speculated that the actress had undergone a “lip flip,” a nonsurgical cosmetic treatment that typically uses Botox to make the upper lip appear fuller.
They argued that the look felt out of place for the period, with some even calling it a classic example of an “iPhone face.”
“Sense and sensible lip flip,” one user quipped.
Another user joked, “Oh Marianne has seen iPhone and TikTok for sure.”
“The migrated lip filler taking me right out,” added a third.
Sense and Sensibility adaptation also sparked debate over historical accuracy
After the film’s first trailer was released in June, several fans of Austen’s original work criticized the adaptation’s fashion choices.
Viewers argued that the costumes and hairstyles, particularly those of the Dashwood sisters, did not match how the characters are depicted in Austen’s novel.
“Why is everyone’s hair down and messy?” one X user asked.
Another user wrote, “What is this atrocious color palette, these atrocious hairstyles and clothes?”
Austen’s novel and the upcoming film adaptation are both set around the turn of the 19th century, when social conventions strongly influenced how women dressed and styled their hair in public.
In several shots from the trailer, characters such as Elinor and Marianne are shown with their hair down in public, a choice some viewers argued was inconsistent with the period’s social conventions.
The choice led some viewers to criticize the trailer for what they saw as an inaccurate depiction of the period.
Sense and Sensibility director discussed her approach to the classic novel
Some fans have also questioned the need for another adaptation, especially with the critically acclaimed 1995 film starring Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet still widely regarded as the definitive screen version.
In a June 2025 interview with Vogue, director Georgia Oakley discussed her approach to the literary classic. She said she wanted to honor Austen’s story while introducing it to a new generation of viewers.
“Something I would love is for people who know nothing of the book and who haven’t seen previous versions of it to see this and to connect with it,” she said.
Oakley also said it was “really important” that viewers connect not only with the characters on a human level but also with the world they inhabit, rather than simply focusing on period authenticity.
“I’m a little bit sick of the sort of fetishization of that time period, and this idea that everybody spent, like, seven hours doing their hair and makeup,” she added.
Alongside Edgar-Jones and Creed-Miles, the film stars Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw.
Sense and Sensibility arrives in UK theaters on September 25, 2026, followed by a U.S. release on October 16.
"Objectively hilarious": Netizens mock new Sense and Sensibility poster
