Sydney Sweeney She began her career when she was just a teenager with a clear dream: to act. But the road, as he recently revealed, was not easy.
In his interview for the program Live with Kelly and Markthe actress recalled one of the experiences harder of his youth. “I had a lot of auditions that didn’t go well.”he said.
“I’ve had casting directors eat French fries while trying to audition, and one time they told me that I had to fix my face. That’s not fun to hear at 16.”
That cruel phrase could have marked the end of his career before it began, but Sweeney turned it into impulse.
His transformation, more than aestheticswas a demonstration of emotional resilience in an unforgiving industry.
Sydney Sweeney: an image that combines exposure, control and distance. Photo: IG @sydney_sweeneyTen years later, that same young woman is one of the most sought-after figures in Hollywood. They are attractiveomnipresent in every production, campaign or red carpet, relies on a canon that the industry continues to venerate, although it disguises it under discourses of diversity.
A beauty that does not challenge standards, it confirms them
Far from being a “disruptive” figure, Sydney Sweeney embodies the classical ideal of american beauty: blonde, with light blue eyes, light skin and pronounced curves.
The questioned teenager became the model of perfection that cinema idolizes. Photo: Pinterest @popsugarau/ IG @sydney_sweeneyAnd although his talent has been recognized, much of his fama It is due to the way the industry has exploited their physique as a commercial product.
More than challenging the standardsits image is built on the tension between authenticity and performance: natural but sexualized, empowered but shaped by the gaze of others.
Esa paradox it fuels both their success and their exposure. In networks, his figure is the object of fascination y criticism equally. While some elevate it as a symbol of “real beauty,” others point out that it perpetuates the same exclusive ideal as always.
In Euphoria, Sweeney embodied the contradiction between vulnerability and display. Photo: Pinterest @gigibellooSweeney, for her part, moves cautiously: she avoids confrontation, responds diplomatically, and maintains a calculated distance from the debates around her.
The “good genes” and the campaign that generated controversy
The recent campaign of American Eagle He placed her back in the center of the conversation. under the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” —a play on words between jeans y genes—, the brand sought to capitalize on its popularity and its figure.
But the message was not innocent: the double meaning, which alluded to your geneticswas interpreted by many as a nod to ideas of physical superiority in times of high political sensitivity (which intensified when it emerged that the actress was registered as republican voterwhich added an ideological nuance to the discussion).
His campaign reignited the discussion about beauty, power and the ironies of marketing. Photo: IG @americaneagleIn dialogue with GQSweeney downplayed the issue: «I did a jeans ad. I love jeans, I wear them every day. I knew exactly what it was about, and that was it: some good jeans”.
With that phrase, he made it clear that he does not intend to use his visibility to discuss issues that could compromise his public image. In parallel, the debate Whether his figure responds to a marketing strategy or an authentic identity continues.
The weight of public image in your career
His leading role in Christya sports biopic in which she plays the boxer Christy Martinhe put the focus back on his body.
For the role, Sweeney increased more than 13 kilos of muscle mass with the help of trainers and nutritionists. But even that physical effort was overshadowed by headlines about her appearance.
For his role in «Christy,» he gained 30 pounds of muscle and departed from his usual image. Photo: IG @sydney_sweeneyBBC Culture y The Telegraph They agreed that his off-screen image distracts the viewer: “It’s impossible to forget that it’s Sydney Sweeney.”wrote the British critic.
The actress defended herself calmly: «If someone closes themselves off to a powerful story because of something they read on the internet, I hope something else makes them open up. It’s not going to affect me.» However, his response reflects the difficulty of escaping the character the audience has already built around him.
Even with the controversies that surround it, its relevance in popular culture remains intact. In 2024, Glamour he named her Woman of the Yeara recognition that she celebrated from her Instagram account with a message of gratitude: «Thank you, with all my heart, for believing in me during this journey. Here’s to continuing to break barriers and building a brighter future for all women.»
From humiliation to exposure
The young woman who was asked to change today embodies the mold that others aspire to imitate. And although it has been able to capitalize on it intelligently, the price of that visibility is the impossibility of escaping from the image that the industry, and the public, continues to impose on it.
His face no longer needs fixing, but it remains the battleground for his fame. Photo: IG @sydney_sweeneyToday, while stars films, global campaigns and establishes himself as one of the most influential celebrities of his generation, Sweeney represents a contemporary paradox: the actress who was judged by her appearance and who today embodies, precisely, the concept of beauty.
