Highlights<\/span><\/p>\n While the event was intended to spotlight the film, Ortega\u2019s appearance quickly overtook discussion of the project itself, as she appeared to have\u00a0slimmed down<\/b>\u00a0even further in recent months.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s only 23,\u201d one commenter repeated. \u201cThis shouldn\u2019t be normal.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/i> Viewers zeroed in on Ortega\u2019s noticeably slimmer frame and sharp facial contours, reigniting a conversation that has followed the 23-year-old actress for over a year.<\/p>\n Online, fans compared her look to actresses Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, both of whom were criticized last year for appearing increasingly gaunt during the promotional cycle for\u00a0Wicked<\/i>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is what it looks like when Hollywood sinks its teeth in,\u201d one fan wrote, sharing a stark before-and-after comparison. \u201cJenna Ortega is only 23 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/i> Image credits:\u00a0Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n Others were more direct.<\/p>\n \u201cIs she sick or something?\u201d one user asked. \u201cThis is sad. First was Ariana and now her,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n Several commenters framed the change as intentional, as they believe the trend of actresses going for slimmer frames and hollow cheeks has become too recurrent to ignore.<\/p>\n <\/i> Image credits:\u00a0Michael Tullberg\/Getty Images<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n They accused the industry of pushing a dangerously thin, androgynous aesthetic on purpose, with procedures such as buccal fat removal and the use of weight-loss injections at the center.<\/p>\n \u201cBuccal fat removal is part of the initiation. No one is authentic. They\u2019re all boring now,\u201d one lamented.<\/p>\n Another pushed back against explanations that have circulated in the past, especially among fans who rushed to defend their idols against criticism of their bodies.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why so many people kept saying \u2018it\u2019s just makeup\u2019 or \u2018it\u2019s just natural aging,\u2019\u201d they wrote, pointing at Ortega\u2019s latest photo as proof. \u201cWhy do we always have to lie?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/i> Image credits:\u00a0Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLooks like that Ariana Grande girl except\u2026 well no except, just looks like that Ariana Grande girl,\u201d one post read.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was so good looking and had such a good chance of looking good until old age. And then this happened.\u201d<\/p>\n The most pointed reactions questioned who, if anyone, was protecting Ortega from \u201cHollyweird.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are her parents?\u201d one commenter asked.<\/p>\n <\/i> Image credits:\u00a0NME\/YouTube<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images<\/a><\/p>\n The backlash did not emerge in a vacuum.<\/p>\n Ortega\u2019s appearance at Sundance comes after months of sustained scrutiny that reached a peak in 2025 during the promotional tour for\u00a0Wednesday Season 2<\/i>.<\/p>\n At the time, the actress\u2019s decision to bleach her eyebrows and apply heavy dark makeup around her cheeks accentuated her already slender frame and led many fans to worry not only about her physical health, but also her mental wellbeing.<\/p>\n <\/i> Image credits:\u00a0Women\u2019s Health\/YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Speculation around cosmetic procedures escalated last year after a viral X post on July 31 amassed nearly 51 million views.<\/p>\n Just like recent comparisons, the tweet juxtaposed older images of Ortega with newer red carpet photos, suggesting: \u201cStop the buccal fat removal!\u201d<\/p>\n In those images, fans pointed to visible hollows in her cheeks, often described as the telltale \u201cdent\u201d associated with the procedure.<\/p>\n \u201cWhoever created buccal fat removal should be arrested and tried for crimes against humanity,\u201d one user wrote. \u201cIt ruins every woman\u2019s natural face and makes them look ghoulish.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cImagine the brainwashing it would take to convince someone to do that to their face,\u201d one commenter said.<\/p>\n <\/i>\n
Fans of Jenna Ortega believe she\u2019s heading down a dangerous path after appearing noticeably gaunt at Sundance 2026<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-69779f573d09e__700.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-2.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-before-after-2.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n![\"Four](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-6977a8a68cb90__700.jpg\" "\\"Four")
<\/p>\nFans accused the actress of undergoing buccal fat removal during the Wednesday Season 2 promotional tour<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-69779f620b23a__700.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n![\"Young](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-69779f5febe53__700.jpg\" "\\"Young")
<\/p>\n![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-69779f59f26d0__700.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n
![\"Jenna](\"https:\/\/static.boredpanda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/jenna-ortega-latest-appearance-sparks-concern-debate-hollyweird-standards-69779f5cc3a36__700.jpg\" "\\"Jenna")
<\/p>\n