Sydney Sweeney has recently debuted a balletcore-inspired photoshoot for her lingerie brand, SYRN, just as Timothée Chalamet stirred intense backlash following his controversial remarks about ballet and opera.
Earlier this month, the 30-year-old star upset many fans, film legend Steven Spielberg, and Grammy-winning opera singer Isabel Leonard after dismissing ballet and opera as “no one cares about this anymore.”
Highlights
- Sydney Sweeney’s sultry balletcore photoshoot arrived just as Timothée Chalamet faced intense backlash in the industry for dismissing ballet and opera.
- Netizens drew connections between the timing of Sydney Sweeney’s lingerie images and Chalamet’s controversial remarks.
- While critics debated the intent behind the campaign, Sweeney has insisted her lingerie brand is about empowering women, not catering to the “male gaze.”
The Euphoria star’s latest brand promotion has many online sleuths questioning the timing of the visuals and even drawing comparisons between her photoshoot and Chalamet’s controversy.
One social media user reacted, “Timmy sparked ballet movement."
Sydney Sweeney released a series of racy photos on Instagram yesterday to promote the new drop from her lingerie brand SYRN
Image credits: syrn
Last month, in February, while attending a Variety and CNN town hall at the University of Texas at Austin to promote his film Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet discussed art forms like ballet and opera with actor Matthew McConaughey.
He told the audience, “I don't want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive,' even though it's like, no one cares about this anymore.”
Realizing the disrespectful tone of his comment, Chalamet quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason."
Image credits: syrn
The comments received widespread criticism from fans and the opera and ballet communities alike, especially as many pointed out his family’s background with the School of American Ballet.
Chalamet’s mother, Nicole Flender, and his older sister, Pauline Chalamet, both trained at the prestigious institution.
Amid this controversy, Sydney’s latest visuals have netizens convinced that they are somewhat inspired by the actor’s remarks.
The timing of the ballerina-core aesthetic of the 28-year-old star coincided with Timothée Chalamet’s controversial remarks about ballet and opera
Image credits: Trae Patton / The Academy
Yesterday, March 18, the Anyone But You star posed in balletcore attire, featuring a blush pink and white lace unlined halter br* called the ‘Starlet’ and matching underwear.
She accessorized the set with a frilly white lace skirt, leg garters, and ballerina-style lace-up stiletto pumps with pink satin ribbons.
The images were shared on SYRN’s official Instagram page, announcing the launch of her collection, ‘Seductress Drop 2.’
Image credits: syrn
For the campaign, Sweeney was pictured leaning back on a red velvet bench while holding a single red rose, looking directly into the camera.
In another image, she posed with her legs crossed while leaning forward, highlighting her cleavage as she wore the ‘Starlet’ br*.
Alongside the pink set, Sweeney also modeled an all-white look featuring a striking white corset with a sweetheart neckline and vertical boning.
Netizens speculated that Sweeney’s latest visuals were inspired by Chalamet, with one user writing, “Timmy sparked a ballet movement”
Image credits: Variety
The new drop is set to launch early next week, on Tuesday, March 24, and will be exclusively available on the brand’s official website.
Despite the racy visuals, Sweeney has emphasized that SYRN is designed to reclaim her narrative and empower women, rather than cater to the “male gaze.”
In a Cosmopolitan interview in January 2026, the actress told the outlet, “This is me reclaiming my body and my narrative and using it to empower other women.”
Image credits: syrn
“People will say, ‘Oh, she’s doing this for guys’ or ‘Oh, she’s a guy’s girl.’ But I’m like, ‘What is more girl’s girl than owning your body and doing it for yourself?”
Since the lingerie brand’s launch in late January, Sydney has modeled several lacy pieces, but the ballerina aesthetic marks a new evolution, and its timing coincides with Chalamet’s controversy.
When the actor’s remarks went viral online, during an onstage conversation titled The Big Picture with Steven Spielberg, the director made a comment that many in the audience interpreted as a subtle reference to Chalamet’s remarks.
Several high-profile artists, including Steven Spielberg, and arts organizations publicly criticized Timothée
Image credits: syrn
He said, “At the end of a really good movie experience, we are all united with a whole bunch of feelings that we walk into the daylight with. And there’s nothing like that. It happens in movies and in concerts. And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.”
Opera star Isabel Leonard also criticized the actor, writing on her Instagram, “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow-minded in his views about art, while considering himself an artist, as I would only imagine one would as an actor.”
She added, “To take cheap shots at fellow artists says more in this interview than anything else he could say. Shows a lot about his character.”
Image credits: Etienne Laurent / The Academy
Several performing arts organizations also shared their take. The Metropolitan Opera posted a backstage video on TikTok captioned, “This one’s for you, @tchalamet.”
Meanwhile, the Seattle Opera jokingly offered a discount code for tickets to Carmen, writing, “Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too.”
Deepak Marwah, principal of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where Chalamet studied performing arts, wrote in an Instagram statement, “At LaGuardia, we do not rank art forms. Timothee, you come from this world. We know your heart, and we know you know better.”
“Trying too hard to be Megan Fox, it seems,” reacted one social media user
