Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney, two of the most popular female celebrities today, have been pitted against each other in the latest online debate to go viral.
The argument, which has ricocheted across X and other platforms, centers on a claim that male and female audiences allegedly sort the two stars into opposing cultural “teams,” with each woman standing for a different kind of beauty and social identity.
“Men hate Sabrina Carpenter and love Sydney Sweeney. Women hate Sydney Sweeney and love Sabrina Carpenter,” one post read, pulling 7.8 million views.
The post followed an even more viral comment with 19.5 million views that showed a Grammys photo of Carpenter in heavy makeup alongside the caption:
“This is the most manufactured person I’ve ever seen.”
A thread comparing Sabrina Carpenter and Sydney Sweeney went viral as viewers argued over who men and women like most
In the hours that followed, the discussion quickly moved past a simple fan argument and turned into a fight about what feels “real” or “fake,” how politics gets projected onto celebrities, how women express their s**uality, and how moral language online is often used to attack other women over their looks.
At the crux of the discourse is a perception that men read Sweeney as “naturally attractive” and culturally unbothered, while Carpenter is framed as curated and calculated.
That tension showed up immediately in how people tried to explain the supposed split. “Sabrina looks like a drag queen’s ideal of what a woman should look like,” a user wrote.
“Sabrina Carpenter panders to women, and Sydney Sweeney panders to men,” another replied. “Sydney actually used to be beloved by women and the gay community during her Everything S**ks era.”
“Men don’t hate Sabrina. Hate is a big word. Women definitely hate Sydney though, I mean if I was woman I’d hate her too,” a viewer argued.
“I’m a guy and I find Sabrina Carpenter – as long as she doesn’t have drag make up on – more attractive than Sydney Sweeney,” a fourth said.
The actress’ brand leaning into her “natural beauty,” has brought her no small amount of scrutiny, particularly from segments of the internet who interpret that claim as Sweeney declaring her superiority over other women.
Sweeney’s involvement in American Eagle “Good Jeans” campaign put her at the center of a political debate
American Eagle’s campaign leaned into the “jeans/genes” wordplay, and critics argued that pairing “good genes” language with a blonde, blue-eyed and well-endowed white actress carried eugenics associations.
Defenders, on the other hand, said it was a stretch and framed the backlash as culture-war hysteria.
The actress later made it clear she wasn’t interested in debating the controversy in interviews, shutting down questions about the ad and keeping the focus on her films.
Online, that fight often turned ugly.
Supporters of Sweeney argued that many liberal women lashed out after the campaign because the focus on “genes” made them feel bad about themselves, and that instead of admitting that, they tried to reframe the discomfort by accusing the ad of being racist.
Detractors, on the other hand, insisted the criticism had nothing to do with insecurity and argued the language used by American Eagle was irresponsible given historical baggage, saying the outrage was about messaging and symbolism rather than personal resentment.
At the same time, while Sweeney’s political views have remained largely private, her caution has been interpreted by critics as her holding onto conservative ideals – a position that stands in stark contrast with that of female celebrities known for sharing their political thoughts in public.
Because of this, Sweeney has been branded everything from “right wing” to “MAGA Barbie.”
Carpenter’s reliance on heavy makeup and over-the-top, suggestive choreographies has been criticized by viewers
Carpenter’s end of the claim is messier because even inside the thread, multiple men rejected the idea that they “hate” her. Most replies centered on their dislike for her makeup and what they perceived as an “overdone” appearance.
“Sabrina Carpenter is lovely, but she makes herself look less human,” one argued. “The only problem I see with [her] is that she’s dolled up, which isn’t really attractive,” another added.
“Most men don’t prefer their woman to look like a perfect doll,” a third followed. “An attractive woman with natural looking makeup, thick flowing hair, and fun youthful energy will almost always win.”
Carpenter’s defenders argued they liked her look precisely because it doesn’t seek male approval, speaking instead directly to women.
“Sabrina plays up her s**uality in a relatable, fun way, focused on women based experiences, has fun and smart songs and amazing breathtaking performances with a wide array of references,” a fan wrote. “That’s why women love her.”
Mothers have criticized Carpenter’s shows for being considered inappropriate for underage audiences
Where the viral claim starts to fall apart is in the assumption that women uniformly “love” Carpenter.
Her persona blends liberation with the lyrical chastising of flaky, emotionally careless men, and many fans view that as a power flip that lets women be honest about desire and disappointment without apologizing.
At the same time, as Bored Panda previously reported, a separate and very loud strain of criticism has come from women, including mothers, who have described parts of her stage choreography as too explicit.
For instance, After the 2025 BRIT Awards on March 1, more than 800 complaints were filed with Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, with the majority targeting Sabrina Carpenter’s opening performance.
Viewers, particularly mothers, said her moves and lingerie-style staging were inappropriate for a prime-time broadcast that “used to be a family event,” with many objecting to explicit imagery airing before the 9 pm watershed.
Critics have also questioned Carpenter’s brand of women empowerment for glamorizing the kind of behavior that paradoxically leads to involvement with the exact kind of emotionally careless men her lyrics condemn.
“Perception is everything.” Netizens kept the argument going on social media
