Why is Zac Efron’s appearance fair game for mockery?

After appearing in a video on Earth Day earlier in 2022, dramatic headlines circulated about his “very different” appearance, and the comments keep on coming after every interview. In his Men’s Health interview, he revealed that he severely injured his jaw in an accident earlier that year, which caused some of the muscles to overcompensate. He also told Entertainment Tonight of the incident: “It sucked, I almost died.”

Regardless of the reasoning: why should Zac Efron be subject to mean comments about his appearance, or have to explain himself in interviews? 

He’s not the only one. Timothée Chalamet has also spoken of how he felt embarrassed of his paleness in photos published of him kissing former girlfriend Lily-Rose Depp in 2016. He told GQ: “I went to bed that night thinking that was one of the best days of my life. I was on this boat all day with someone I really loved, and closing my eyes, I was like, indisputably, ‘That was great.’ And then waking up to all these pictures, and feeling embarrassed, and looking like a real kn*b? All pale? And then people are like: ‘This is a P.R. stunt’. A P.R. stunt?! Do you think I’d want to look like that in front of all of you?!”

Jonah Hill – another actor who has been subject to constant remarks about his looks – sent a gracious message to his fans (and no doubt the media) in 2021 when he asked for the continued commentary about his weight to stop. “I know you mean well but I kindly ask that you not comment on my body,” he wrote. “Good or bad I want to politely let you know it’s not helpful and doesn’t feel good. Much respect.”

And while Jonah had the courage and conviction to stand up for himself on the matter, the long-standing stereotype that men can ‘take’ teasing or comments about their appearance is a dangerous one – and it doesn’t help the rest of us, either.

If we don’t celebrate men of all body types, how can we hope for the same? What’s more, encouraging the idea that men are immune to worries or sensitivity surrounding their appearance surely only reinforces the harmful notion that they won’t speak up when experiencing these very real issues. A 2021 study by CALM found that 48% of men said they have struggled with their mental health because of their body image – and since suicide is still the biggest cause of death for men under 50 in the UK, assuming they are immune to low confidence or insecurity is false, and potentially dangerous.

Repeat after me: the way someone – man or otherwise – looks is none of your business. You never know what someone might be going through.