Sydney Sweeney’s attempt to shut down long-standing plastic surgery rumors has sparked a fresh wave of backlash online, after the actress insisted she has “never had any work done” during a Truth Serum interview.
What started as a candid response to a beauty-rumor prompt quickly grew into a debate across social media, where viewers began posting side-by-side photos as supposed proof Sweeney was lying. Others, however, have remained on the Euphoria actress' side.
Highlights
- Sydney Sweeney’s denial of ever having cosmetic work has reignited long-running fan skepticism.
- Side-by-side images online have caused viewers to accuse her of “lying” about her natural look.
- Fans have stated that she should “just own up to it,” comparing her to Pamela Anderson and Gillian Anderson as aging role models.
Sweeney insisted that she never had any work done because she is afraid of needles
Image credits: Jay Dixit/Wikimedia
Sydney Sweeney’s Truth Serum segment opened with her co-star in The Handmaid, Amanda Seyfried, asking, “What is one beauty rumor about yourself that you want to debunk right now?”
Sweeney’s response was direct: “I mean, I have never gotten work done. I am so scared of needles, you have no idea.”
Image credits: sydney_sweeney
Seyfried countered with a tease: “But it’s really effective once you get older. I’m telling you right now.”
Sweeney didn’t budge. She clarified that critics were comparing photos of her at twelve years old to professionally styled images at 26, which would obviously show a lot of difference.
Image credits: Allure/YouTube
“You can not compare a photo of me from when I was 12 to a photo of me at 26 with professional makeup and lighting. Of course, I’m going to look different. Everybody on social media is insane,” Sweeney said.
She also highlighted a detail in her appearance that proved she never had work done. According to Sweeney, her face is asymmetrical thanks to a wakeboarding accident that required 19 stitches near her eye.
“If I did it, guys, my face would be even. Like, one eye pulls more than the other… it feels like my eye pulls just a little differently,” she explained.
Sweeney also stated that she is looking forward to aging naturally. “I’m going to age gracefully,” she said, according to the Atlanta Black Star.
Fans pushed back after the Euphoria actress denied ever having cosmetic work
Image credits: Michael Bezjian/Getty Images / Steve Eichner/Getty Images
Netizens, however, were not fully convinced. One commenter wrote: “Well, she’s clearly lying. Just admit it and say, yeah, I’ve had a tweak here and there, my body so what! But to lie just makes you seem more stupid.”
Another viewer dismissed her explanation entirely, focusing on her chest: “Nobody’s looking at her face. The big plastic grapefruits on her chest get all the attention.”
Image credits: Craig Barritt/Getty Images / Cindy Ord/Getty Images
On Entertainment Tonight’s Instagram post, which featured a side-by-side comparison of Sweeney today from before, commenters zeroed in on her lips, which seemed to have changed over the years.
“The lips give her away,” one wrote, while another stated, “She definitely had lip filler and a nose job.”
Image credits: sydney_sweeney
Still, others insisted that people would respond to Sweeney far better if she just admitted to having cosmetic enhancements.
“She should just own up to it, and hope she ages all natural, like Pamela Anderson or Gillian Anderson. Those two ladies are natural perfect role models. They care for their skin well after they had work done in their early years,” the commenter wrote.
Sweeney has become the center of a racial debate following her participation in a controversial ad
Image credits: Sony Pictures Releasing
The scrutiny around Sydney Sweeney’s looks wasn’t the only spotlight following her into 2025. Earlier this year, she became the center of an unexpected internet firestorm when American Eagle released a denim campaign built around a cheeky play on words between “jeans” and “genes.”
While the brand intended the tagline to be a lighthearted pun, the whole campaign quickly spiraled into accusations of promoting eugenics, with critics calling it a coded “racialized dog whistle.”
The backlash was immediate and intense, even as American Eagle stood firmly behind the ad.
Image credits: sydney_sweeney
While Sweeney didn’t directly address the controversy during an interview with Variety, the outlet noted that she seemed to gesture toward the uproar when she reflected on how easily people project personas onto her. “I play a lot of very divisive characters, and I think that a lot of people think they know me, but they don’t,” she said.
She explained that labels attached to her, especially those tied to her appearance, often miss the reality of who she is off-screen. “So when people think, ‘Ah, she’s a s*x symbol,’ or ‘She’s leaning into that,’ I’m like, ‘No, I just feel good, and I’m doing it for myself and I feel strong,’” Sweeney said.
Netizens shared their thoughts about Sydney Sweeney’s appearance on social media
