Sydney Sweeney's storyline in the upcoming season of Euphoria has left fans of the series seriously divided.
The first episode of the third instalment of the hit HBO show is released today (13 April), so expect the discourse around the bizarre age play plot to ramp up from here on out.
Sweeney has found herself at the centre of controversy yet again after fans were given a sneak-peek of what to expect - as in one scene, she's seen cosplaying as a baby.
The teaser footage of Euphoria season three sparked uproar online, as it gave people an idea of where the show's creator Sam Levinson is seemingly taking the adult content career of her character, Cassie Howard.
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In the clip, we see Sweeney posing in various skimpy outfits as she seemingly begins working as an OnlyFans model after graduating high school.
One shocking snippet then shows the 28-year-old Christy star sporting pigtails in her hair and sucking on a dummy as she pulled the 'happy baby’ yoga pose while lay on a couch.
Given that she's also wearing a sheer frilly top and white undergarments that resemble a nappy, a lot of people suspect she's leaning into the taboo fetish of age play.
Sweeney has been slammed for agreeing to do it, while Levinson has also come under fire for writing such a 'weird' aspect into the script.
Social media users have been locked in a fiery debate over the strange scene, as many people believe it is 'playing into a paedophilic fetish'.
Others have defended Sweeney and the show, suggesting that these are the realities of the world we live in today, whether we like it or not.
Age play is a controversial kink which involves people adopting the role of a younger or older person for pleasure, even though they aren't actually that age.
A subset of this is 'infantilism', which describes a consenting adult dressing up and behaving like a baby. Someone who's into this sort of thing might don clothing similar to a tot, drink from bottles and even wear nappies.
There's both sexual and psychological connotations to this, as those who find pleasure in age play say they enjoy the thrill of being submissive.
Apparently, it also allows them to take a temporary holiday from the angst of adult life by embodying a persona of a baby, as they gain some kind of comfort from being cared for.
Do experts think age play is linked to paedophilia?
Despite some people suspecting age play signifies a sexual attraction to children, experts say otherwise.
A 2017 review into the kink by experts in India explained that the 'inherent gratification in the play is derived from controlling the partner in a dominative way and acts of being controlled in a submissive way.'
"Infantilists imagine themselves as children and adopt the objects and behaviours of childhood in connection to role play," it states, explaining that this is the difference between age play and any kind of paedophilic fetish.
Another 2019 study notes that 'the heavy shadow of pedophilia in fact never seems to loom too far away' from age play, but the association is rejected by those who have a preference for it.
The study includes a comment from one age play participant, where she explains that she is 'a strong and very smart woman' and age play 'allows me to feel weak, or small, or feminine, or silly and emotionally young, when I want to'.
Euphoria season 3 has received mixed responses
Euphoria is known for pushing the boundaries with its storylines, but before they've even seen how it plays out, a lot of fans have said they can't stomach seeing Sweeney portraying this on screen.
Taking to X, one longtime fan wrote: "I was gonna give this season of Euphoria a chance, but adding age play to satisfy the paedophilic fetish of some people seems way too sick and disgusting to me.
"I can't believe someone wrote this script, that it got accepted, that the actresses ARE OKAY WITH IT, and that HBO thinks it's a good idea to approve its filming and airing."
Another fumed: "How grotesque, and now this photo will keep popping up all the time."
A third said: "I get that they want to give Cassie the direction she's going in, but referencing a baby? Using a diaper? That Sydney agreed to film that? Literally, what is happening."
And a fourth added: "It's genuinely creepy. Any bros turned on by it should seek help immediately."
Others suggested this is exactly the kind of shock value that Euphoria has always delivered, as one person commented: "If you're a real fan of Euphoria this does not shock you."
Another suggested: "But it's fiction. It's a mockery of those who make and consume that kind of stuff. It's like you complaining that a movie features a corrupt politician or a serial killer."
A third chimed in saying: "They are raising a real situation. I'm glad they show how sexualised the planet and our minds are, I hope that way we become a little more conscious."
While a fourth said: "When it comes out I'll tell you what's up with that scene, we still don't even know the context."
LADbible has contacted Sweeney and HBO for comment.
Topics: HBO, Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney, Viral, Weird, TV and Film, Celebrity
Olivia Burke