Do we have to be beautiful in order to demand respect as women?

Unknowingly, Sydney Sweeney has once again found herself at the center of an online clash (on Twitter) between men and women. After being used by U.S. Republicans as an example of conservative female beauty (read: white, blonde, and curvy on a slim body) and being objectified on Saturday Night Live, the cycle repeats. Candid photos of her in a swimsuit and without makeup have triggered Andrew Tate’s fans, who launched attacks against all women, accusing them of catfishing—using tricks to appear more attractive and deceive men. Of course.

Sydney Sweeney Is "Mid": The Online Debate Reaches the Incel Sphere

The actress is currently filming a movie where she plays boxer Christy Martin. She has worked hard to develop a certain physique for the role. This, combined with her tied-back hair, a casual demeanor (daring to live her life without catering to the male gaze or objectifying scrutiny of the media, photos, and public), and no makeup, was enough to provoke outrage. Critics called her deceitful, untrustworthy, and a woman deserving of a first-date trip to the pool to reveal her true self. A realistic portrayal of women—outside airbrushed covers and far from red carpets—remains alien to incels and the users who, since Elon Musk acquired the platform, have overrun Twitter. However, there’s a deeper question here: even if Sydney Sweeney (or anyone else labeled "mid," meaning average or mediocre beauty) were unattractive, does that justify photographing her, analyzing her, or discussing her body as if it were a slab of beef in a freezer?

Must Women Be Beautiful to Deserve Respect?

Many people, perhaps impulsively and superficially but in good faith, have defended Sydney, emphasizing that she is, in fact, a beautiful woman even without makeup and attributing her physical changes to her acting role. All true and undeniably valid, but what if that weren’t the case? What if Sydney had simply gained weight? Would her departure from the perfect standards imposed by her admirers have justified the sh*it storm? No, and we must unlearn this mindset. We need to stop equating worthiness with beauty, ugliness with immorality, and assuming, often unconsciously, that more attractive people deserve more respect, better treatment, and more protection. Women do not earn the right to respect, equality, and freedom from judgment only when they are sexualized; they deserve it always. This applies to beautiful, unattractive, thin, fat, white, non-white, and Black women. It applies to women who are disabled, trans, healthy, or ill. Women deserve respect not because they are beautiful, but because they are human.