Sydney Sweeney is set to grace the iconic stage of Saturday Night Live as one of the hosts this weekend - but her fans have raised their concerns.
Despite being a prestigious gig for the acclaimed actress, recent promotional material has sparked controversy among her devoted fan base, igniting a debate about the portrayal and sexualization of women in the entertainment industry. Check out the promo below:
In a promotional video released on Thursday (February 29), Sweeney joins forces with musical guest Kacey Musgraves and SNL stalwart Heidi Gardner.
As the trio exchanges the usual SNL banter, Gardner celebrates their collective strength with a declaration of "girl power," prompting Sweeney to humorously note the surprising male contingent among her fanbase. |"Weirdly, a lot of my fans are men," the Euphoria star says.
Musgraves, in a dry retort, adds: "Hmm. I wonder why?"
While intended as light-hearted banter, the upcoming show's promo clip has sparked ire among fans who feel it diminishes Sweeney's multifaceted talents in favor of emphasizing her physical attributes. Yes, many fans are concerned that the star may be used for "boob jokes".
Critics argue that Sweeney's body of work, which includes an Emmy nomination for her role in The White Lotus and a notable presence in the box office hit Anyone But You, deserves recognition beyond mere appearance.
Venting their frustrations on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), fans have called out Saturday Night Live for potentially reducing tonight's humor to a tired trope, urging the show's writers to delve deeper and avoid perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
"Challenge for SNL writers: have Sydney tell jokes that aren’t just about her being hot, and speak to her other qualities as an actor and person. Cmon guys," one person responded.
"I see what you’re about to do … please don’t," another added.
A third tweeted: "She actually deserves way more than this. The SNL writers are disgusting."
A fourth wrote: "shes getting the megan fox sex symbol treatment and I hate this for her [sic]".
Another predicted: "Yeah the SNL sketches gonna be extremely unfunny and misogynistic".
A sixth angry fan tweeted: "Is so f***ing sad how people are sexualizing her to a level where shows are writing a script to make 'jokes' about it."
Sweeney herself has been vocal about her journey towards body positivity, citing her mother's advice as instrumental in embracing her natural figure. In an interview with Glamour UK, she expressed gratitude for shunning societal pressures and embracing self-confidence, championing the message that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
"Once I became more confident with myself, [it changed]. I want to show girls that it’s amazing and beautiful and empowering to have the bodies that we have," she told the outlet. "Everybody’s body is beautiful. When you are confident and you’re happy within is when it really shows to other people. […] Flaunt what you got. Own it. Love them."
As Sweeney prepares to take the SNL stage, I guess we'll have to wait and see if her fans will be left disappointed by the material.
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