Sydney Sweeney exposes the entertainment industry's facade of women supporting women, highlighting the persistent issue of women tearing each other down. In a candid interview with 'Vanity Fair', she discusses her personal experiences and the generational mindset that fuels this problem.
- Sydney Sweeney has criticized industry hypocrisy
- She opened up on issues in women’s empowerment
- THIS is her criticism for some out there
Generational Issues in Women’s Empowerment
Sydney Sweeney, a prominent figure in Hollywood, has expressed her frustration with the entertainment industry's superficial portrayal of women supporting each other. In an interview for 'Vanity Fair's' 2025 Hollywood Issue, Sweeney, aged 27, criticized the false narrative of female empowerment.
She described the industry's reputation for "women empowering other women" as a mere facade. "It’s very disheartening to see women tear other women down," she said in the interview, published Nov. 13.
"Especially when women who are successful in other avenues of their industry see younger talent working really hard — hoping to achieve whatever dreams that they may have — and then trying to bash and discredit any work that they’ve done," she stated, emphasizing the discouragement she feels when successful women undermine younger talent striving to achieve their dreams.
Sweeney attributes this false dedication to women's empowerment to a generational problem. She believes that societal upbringing has contributed to the perception that only one woman can excel at a time.
"This entire industry, all people say is ‘Women empowering other women.’ None of it’s happening," Sweeney continued. "All of it is fake and a front for all the other s--- that they say behind everyone’s back."
She further explained how she came to that point of view.
"I mean, there’s so many studies and different opinions on the reasoning behind it," she told 'Vanity Fair'. "I’ve read that our entire lives, we were raised — and it’s a generational problem — to believe only one woman can be at the top. There’s one woman who can get the man. There’s one woman who can be, I don’t know, anything. So then all the others feel like they have to fight each other or take that one woman down instead of being like, Let’s all lift each other up."
The topic of women tearing each other down gained attention when a veteran Hollywood producer, Carol Baum, publicly criticized Sweeney's acting skills and appearance. Baum, speaking at a screening event, questioned Sweeney's popularity, stating, "Explain this girl to me.
She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?" This prompted a response from Sweeney's representative, who condemned Baum's comments as "shameful" and highlighted the need for women in influential positions to support rather than attack one another.
"But then the question was asked, ‘Well, if you could get your movie made because she was in it, would you do it?’... That’s a very hard question to answer because we all want to get the movie made and who walks away from a green light? Nobody I know," Baum continued. "Your job is to get the movie made."
Following the producer's comments, a representative for Sweeney spoke out. "How sad that a woman in the position to share her expertise and experience chooses instead to attack another woman," the rep said in a statement to 'People' magazine. "If that’s what she’s learned in her decades in the industry and feels is appropriate to teach to her students, that’s shameful."
"To unjustly disparage a fellow female producer speaks volumes about Ms. Baum’s character," the statement concluded.
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Sweeney's candid revelations and the subsequent controversy underscore the ongoing struggle for genuine female empowerment in Hollywood. Her experiences and insights shed light on the need for a cultural shift in how women in the industry perceive and treat each other.
