Sydney Sweeney is hitting back at body-shamers who say she needs to ‘get back to the gym’

Sydney Sweeney reads the comments. She takes them step by step.

The Euphoria The 27-year-old actress shared a video on Instagram on Friday with a series of hateful comments about her body. The comments, which apparently stemmed from recent paparazzi photos of Sweeney outside her home in a bikini, mentioned the Everyone but you give center stage to everything from ‘pretty scruffy’ to ‘fat’ and ‘definitely not supermodel material’. One commenter also claimed that Sweeney should “hit the gym” more often.

That last comment is ironic, considering that right after the comments, she posted photos and videos of herself doing just that. Sweeney shared photos of her pushing tires, pumping iron and boxing in a ring – and also showed off some impressive muscle growth in the mirror.

Sweeney’s industry peers rushed to her defense. Riverdale alumnus Lili Reinhart commented on the post: “It’s always wild to see people publicly beside themselves as pieces of s*** with comments like that. You look fantastic and your dedication to your project is very inspiring.”

Sweeney’s intense routine is part of training for her upcoming role in David Michôd’s new film, in which she portrays ’90s boxing icon Christy Martin. It’s a transformative role that Sweeney says he’s proud to take on.

“I have 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,” Sweeney wrote on Instagram in October, showing off photos of her on set . “Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength and hope, and I am honored to walk in her shoes and share her powerful story with all of you.”

In a May interview with Deadline, she described the role as “physically and emotionally demanding” but said she was excited to “challenge” herself.

This isn’t the first time Sweeney has addressed online critics about her appearance. In May 2021, the two-time Emmy nominee posted a video of herself to Instagram after learning she was “trending on Twitter… because she was ugly.”

“I know everyone says, ‘You can’t read stuff’ and ‘You shouldn’t read stuff,’ but I’m a damn person,” she said through tears. “I think it’s really important for people to see how words actually influence people.”

Earlier this year, Sweeney also responded through her representatives to criticism from film producer Carol Baum, who said so Reality actress was “not beautiful” and “can’t act.” Sweeney’s reps responded at the time: “How sad that a woman who is in a position to share her expertise and experience would choose to attack another woman instead.”