Australian pop star Troye Sivan has offered a raw and witty response to a viral TikTok video in which a London-based aesthetics doctor suggested treatments to “re-twinkify” his appearance.
The doctor, known online as Dr Zayn, shared a now-deleted video analysing Sivan’s red carpet appearance, saying:
“He’s looking slightly different these days… He does appear a bit more older looking. You could argue that he’s experiencing ‘twink death’. Many of you have noticed the same thing.”
He went on to recommend skin boosters, dermal fillers, and skin resurfacing to fix what he called “problem areas” — all aimed at helping Sivan reclaim his youthful “twink” aesthetic.
The clip made its way to Troye himself, and his response was swift — and deeply personal.
Troye’s Substack: “Feeling a Bit Uggo (Ugly)”
In a candid essay published on his Substack, initially titled “Fck this guy!!”*, the Rush singer unpacked the emotional impact of unsolicited beauty commentary and his lifelong relationship with body image.
“I oscillate constantly between feeling like I’m ageing in a good way, getting ‘sexier’ with time, and then feeling like Gollum’s very close pop-singing relative,” he wrote.
“I’m historically famously skinny, and I’m not THAT skinny anymore. I’m historically famously twinky (I am still the Google search result image for ‘twink’), and I’m not THAT twinky anymore.”
Despite the humour, Sivan admitted he’s struggled with body image for much of his life.
Two Responses, One Honest Reaction
Sivan described his reaction to the video as a “two-pronged” response, depending on his mood.
Prong #1 – Body Positivity
“I am body positive to my core… It’s also cool to age,” he wrote.
He recounted a piece of fashion-world wisdom that resonated with him:
“Stay ugly. Ie. Don’t f*** with your face… When everyone else has the same nose and no wrinkles… you’ll be so happy and chic and weathered and wise.”
Prong #2 – Vulnerability & the Algorithm
But then, the darker pull of online insecurity set in:
“Hearing this unsolicited medical advice… pushed me toward Prong #2 for a fair few days,” he admitted.
“My all-knowing, eternally and deeply evil algorithm saw the opportunity… I saw video after video of deep plane facelift recoveries, and ads for unapproved GLP-1 meds… I hit the ‘not interested’ button a few times and hoped for the best.”
Sivan noted his current weight — 59kg — to highlight the absurdity of weight-loss ads targeting him.
“No Hard Feelings”
By the end of the piece, Sivan softened the tone and revealed that Dr Zayn had reached out with an apology, and had since taken the video down.
“The title of this post was ‘F*ck this guy!!’ and is now ‘feeling a bit uggo (ugly)’. No hard feelings from my side whatsoever,” he wrote. “Thanks for all the love, guys <3.”
Dr Zayn Responds
Dr Zayn also addressed the situation via Instagram Stories:
“On reflection, I felt it was important that my platform leads with positivity… I want my content to contribute thoughtfully to the conversation, challenging unrealistic ideals, not amplifying them.”
Troye’s Final Word
In one final mic drop, Sivan framed the bigger issue — one not about looks, but about capitalism and tech:
“It’s us vs species-endingly-insatiable corporate greed, with access to addictive brainwashing technology. Good luck!!!!”
