Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to being under the public’s microscope ever since her fame skyrocketed thanks to Euphoria.
From body-shaming over paparazzi photos to backlash for red carpet appearances, the 28-year-old actress has faced the public’s wrath over her fashion choices several times.
However, Sweeney’s latest public outing sparked confusion instead of an outcry as she landed for the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday, September 2, as one of Armani Beauty’s global ambassadors.
Some viewers spotted what they thought was a series of marks visible on her seemingly bare skin and left concerned comments under her pictures.
“The ones on her back just look like she scratched herself,” one person said.
Netizens came up with theories about the “unexplained” marks on Sydney Sweeney’s ribs
On Wednesday, Sydney Sweeney was photographed leaving the Venice airport to catch her gondola ride, wearing a beige cropped asymmetrical ruffle top with floral see-through lace and a criss-cross halter neckline from Georges Chakra’s Spring/Summer 2003 couture collection.
The sheer top with cascading lace frills created the illusion that her ribs and sides of the stomach were left bare, and some eagle-eyed netizens zoomed in on the area before noticing alleged “stretch marks.”
“What is the mark visible on Sydney Sweeney’s rib and stomach?” one user asked.
That’s a slight sunburn. She must have been sitting down shortly before that pic was taken,” one speculated in response. Another said, “Could be a scar, pressure mark, or skin irritation.”
“Looks like someone photoshopped stretch marks on her,” said a fourth, and a fifth commented, “She was leaning against something prior to this picture.”
However, many users quickly recognized the true nature of the marks.
“It’s not her skin, dude. It’s some sort of sheer top to cover her belly,” one person answered. Another wrote, “Are you serious? You can’t see the seam of the transparent top going up her side?”
According to Harper's Bazaar, Sweeney’s top was layered over a skintight mesh peach tank top for coverage, keeping her comfortable during a transatlantic flight and then a boat ride.
The Immaculate actress paired the top with knee-length Bermuda shorts, a silk scarf tied around the waistband, and Gianvito Rossi Sofia Mule 95s with a clear upper band.
Sydney Sweeney has long faced criticism for her “egregious” fashion choices
Sweeney has been subjected to questions and commentary about her body several times in the past.
During the Cannes Film Festival 2023 week, she showed up in a powder-blue silk slip dress by Miu Miu, with a matching brassiere underneath, significantly exposed. While the exposure was intentional, many assumed that Sweeney had suffered a wardrobe faux pas.
“What's going on with the dress malfunction?” one comment read.
In late 2024, paparazzi photos of her in a bikini prompted a wave of online criticism about her weight and appearance, with some calling her “chunky” and “frumpy.”
Her torso-hugging sheer silver dress at Variety's Power of Women event in 2025 triggered another round of commentary.
“I’m just not a fan of the n**ed dress,” one person said.
Later that year, her butter-yellow gown with a wide headband look was mocked online for everything from the color and silhouette to the styling.
Some even joked that she had “bad fashion genes,” a particularly pointed reference given the controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans campaign.
Around the same time, she faced outrage for allegedly going for a “MAGA” makeover because of her classic silhouettes and “pageant-queen aesthetic” makeup.
The actress previously denied undergoing any cosmetic procedures
Acting professionally since age 11, Sydney Sweeney has grown up under the spotlight, which has brought intense scrutiny to her changing appearance as well.
She has been accused of undergoing plastic surgery because of how different she looks now compared to her teen years.
Denying the allegations in a 2025 interview with Allure, she said, “I have never gotten any work done. I am too scared of needles. You cannot compare a photo of me from when I was 12 to a photo of me at 26 with professional makeup and lighting.”
As a young professional, her mother, Lisa Sweeney, warned her against getting scarred.
“I'm a very active person,” she told British GQ in 2022. "I get hurt. I get bruises. I get cuts. I think I came back from laser tag, and I had rug burns all over my legs because I got really into it.”
“She sat me up on the counter and told me that no boy will ever love me if I have marks on my body.”
Sweeney is currently dating music record executive Scooter Braun, a former associate of Taylor Swift, since 2025.
She was spotted getting smoothies with Braun and his three kids, Jagger Joseph, 11, Levi Magnus, 9, and Hart Violet, 7, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, September 1, and was photographed hugging and doting on the children.
Sweeney was previously engaged to entrepreneur Jonathan Davino, whom she had been dating since 2018. She was briefly linked to her Anyone But You co-star Glen Powell in late 2023, but the latter later clarified that it was a publicity stunt.
"Looks like stretch marks." More netizens speculated about Sydney Sweeney's look
