Sydney Sweeney is opening up about her frustrations over the public's perceptions of her body.
Despite her recent success, the 26-year-old actor emphasized in an interview that attention often shifts to her physical appearance rather than her acting abilities.
Speaking to Variety, Sweeney shared she was aware of comments about her body but admitted struggling to respond constructively.
"People feel connected and free to be able to speak about me in whatever way they want, because they believe that I've signed my life away — that I'm not on a human level anymore, because I'm an actor — that these characters are for everybody else," she said.
"But then me as Sydney is not for me anymore. It's this weird relationship that people have with me that I have no control or say over."
The spotlight on her physical appearance became particularly apparent during her recent appearance on "Saturday Night Live."
"People only see me as the girl on TV who screams, cries, and has sex," she began during her monologue, according to the Daily Mail.
In a segment of the show, she presented a PowerPoint slide outlining her route to success in the entertainment industry, humorously captioned "show boobs."
Another part of the skit featured her portraying a Hooters waitress, donning a revealing white shirt that accentuated her cleavage as she served a group of men.
Sweeney also discussed the barrage of daily direct messages she receives on social media, saying they are "not a safe space."
However, she said she maintains a boundary between her personal feelings and her work, recognizing that she works for herself, not solely for the audience.
Sweeney also opened up about dealing with the criticism she faces, particularly with some people objectifying her body, during an interview with Craig Melvin and Laura Jarrett on "Today."
"I kind of just have to take [it] day by day and just keep being myself," she said.
Asked if she thought it was "an unfair amount of scrutiny," Sweeney replied: "I think that it's just — of course it's not natural. I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with all of it."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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