On Thursday, photos of Sydney Sweeney taken on her Florida estate were published, showing the Euphoria star enjoying a day by her pool in a bikini. The images began circulating on social media, with several large accounts suggesting there was something different about Sweeney’s famous figure. On Friday, she responded to the negativity on Instagram.
Her new video post opens with dozens of negative comments about her looks from body shamers suggesting she had gained weight or was too bulky. These then cut to celebratory pics of Sweeney in the gym, building up some impressive muscle. It ended with a picture of the name “Christy Martin,” a famous woman boxer who Sweeney will be playing in an upcoming biopic directed by David Michôd.
In October, Sweeney confirmed the casting after she was photographed wearing a costume as Martin, writing on Instagram, “Well the cats out of the bag thanks to some paps in bushes so here’s a little bts from my film im working on right now.”
She added, “Over the past few months, I’ve been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman—a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring. Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I’m honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair in November, the actress talked about reactions to her looks and the pressure Hollywood puts on performers to present a certain way, even other women.
“This entire industry, all people say is ‘Women empowering other women,’” she said. “None of it’s happening. All of it is fake and a front for all the other shit that they say behind everyone’s back.”
Sweeney added that “it’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down…especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard—hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have.”
She suggested it is often a “generational problem” and the ideology that “only one woman can be at the top.”
“There’s one woman who can get the man,” she explained. “There’s one woman who can be, I don’t know, anything…So then all the others feel like they have to fight each other or take that one woman down instead of being like, ‘Let’s all lift each other up.’”