WIf Sydney Sweeney — a celebrity so famous for her objective beauty that entire SNL skits are dedicated to her hourglass figure — isn’t physically attractive enough to pass the test, you really wonder what her chances are for the rest gives to the woman. This is a person so hot that right-wing pundits memorably, if inexplicably, argued that her breasts spelled the “death of wokeness.” And even she is not good enough? Obviously we’re all playing a loser’s game here.

The White lotus The actress inadvertently sparked an online “discourse” this week by having the audacity to walk around without makeup in a bikini with her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. They weren’t the most flattering photos ever taken of Sweeney: She didn’t pose at all, her purple two-piece was more functional than eye-catching, and her hair and face weren’t coiffed or glamorous. It’s unclear why that would be, however, as Sweeney was simply relaxing and sunbathing in her own home in the Florida Keys rather than attending a red carpet event. The candid snaps appear to have been taken by a paparazzo without Sweeney’s consent while she was on her property – she had probably made the reasonable but incorrect assumption that she could relax and just be for a change instead of “performing.” “. the male gaze.

Regardless, her relaxed demeanor amounted to committing a capital crime to a certain toxic element of the manosphere.

The men were so quick to celebrate their so-called crash that it seemed as if they had just been waiting for the opportunity – vultures circling overhead, ready to pounce as soon as they sensed weakness in the air. Sweeney was “in the middle,” they claimed; she was “fat”; Most despicable of all, she had been “catching” unsuspecting members of the opposite sex for years, making them lust after her by wearing lipstick and low-cut dresses and having her hair professionally done for film premieres. But now they could all see the truth – she was just like every other disgusting human woman out there. Imperfect. Faulty. “Normal,” whatever that means.

“All women are catfish. The question is to what extent,” one social media user tweeted alongside the photos. Another self-proclaimed incel posted a bikini picture next to a photo of Sweeney in full makeup and a red off-the-shoulder dress as if it represented some sort of “gotcha” moment, with the caption: “This should be illegal.” That’s what causes misogyny.” Here I think that misogyny was rooted in a deeply unequal patriarchal hierarchy in which women had been oppressed and viewed as “less than” for millennia – it turns out that It was Sydney Sweeney’s fault all along for occasionally wearing eyeliner. Who knew?

Honestly, my first thought when I saw the stripped-down version of Sweeney was, “Oh man, even if it is her not Make an effort, she looks good!” Many other women shared similar sentiments and revealed they weren’t even able to figure out what was “wrong” with the latest pictures. “What part of these photos of Sydney Sweeney in a swimsuit are catfish to you. Are you saying this isn’t a beautiful woman???” one person asked in disbelief. It’s hard to imagine how anyone can make the jump from a woman who seems a little more “done” after spending an hour getting ready, to a 52-year-old man living in his parents’ basement and pretending , being a teenage beach volleyball player online, but here we are. As one woman put it: “Men complain that Sidney (sic) Sweeney is a real catfish when he sees her without makeup and dressed inconspicuously, literally talking about herself and admitting that she has never touched a woman in her life.”

Sweeney herself even chimed in and responded to trolls, showing off a selection of comments on Instagram calling her “frumpy,” “ugly” and “chubby,” before cutting to a video of herself getting tough Gym training to prepare for her next big role – as famous boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic. It was perhaps the perfect response, showing a dark and evil corner of the internet that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t take her down (and that she could probably beat her to a pulp if she had to).

Obviously the “discourse” is ridiculous. Obviously, none of the insults leveled against Sweeney are even remotely true. And yet this latest nonsense proves that it really doesn’t matter what you look like. None of us will ever be good enough to appease men who hate women – because they want doomed us. And when we commit the cardinal sin of being real and human and not just an object to be admired, then that is the greatest failure of all.