Sydney Sweeney says she feels ‘no control’ over sexualisation, as Euphoria backlash kicks off

Sydney Sweeney is getting dragged online again, and this time it’s when only one episode of Euphoria has properly dropped.

In the first episode, we see Sweeney’s character Cassie styled in pigtails with a pacifier, posing in an extremely uncomfortable and over-sexualised way.

HBO

The reaction hasn’t been subtle, with people calling it “disturbing” and accusing the show of blurring into infantilisation and over-sexualising childlike imagery.

If you’ve followed Sydney for a while, you’ll know this isn’t exactly new territory.

She’s been pretty open about how often she gets sexualised, and how little control she feels she has over it. Speaking on SiriusXM’s show with Julia Cunningham, she basically admitted she’s numb to it at this point. According to her, it’s something she’s been dealing with ever since Euphoria blew up.

She explained that because Cassie was the first role so many people saw her in, it’s become hard for audiences to separate her from that character, especially one that’s so heavily tied to sexuality.

“It was honestly the first big thing people saw me in, and I think it’s difficult for people to disassociate actors from their roles, especially a character like that,” she said.

HBO

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At the same time, Sydney’s made it clear she doesn’t personally see nudity or sex scenes as a negative thing. In an interview with W Magazine, she said she doesn’t feel nervous filming those moments: “I think that the female body is a very powerful thing. And I’m telling my character’s story, so I owe it to them to tell it well and to do what needs to be done.”

But that doesn’t mean the constant commentary sits well with her.

In an interview with Variety, she admitted the way people talk about her online can feel dehumanising.

HBO

“I see it, and I just can’t allow myself to have a reaction. I don’t know how to explain it – I’m still trying to figure it out myself,” she said.

“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, 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.”

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Featured image credit: HBO