Troye Sivan has spoken candidly about struggling with body image after he was shamed by a TikToker who said he was experiencing ‘twink death’.

Sivan, 30, started a new Substack on Wednesday (21 January), the first post of which was originally titled “F*** this guy!!”. It was later renamed “feeling a bit uggo (ugly).”

It came about after a doctor – Dr. Zayn – shared a now-deleted TikTok about Sivan and how he looked “older” and like he was going through “twink death”.

Troye Sivan publishes a new Substack piece about body image titled “F*ck this guy!! For real!!!!”

He directly responds to a doctor on Instagram who gave unsolicited advice on how to “re-twinkify” him.

: https://t.co/VfVT8tNeLZ pic.twitter.com/YlEkML4z5N

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 21, 2026

It’s a term mostly used in a playful way by queer people to refer to someone previously considered a ‘twink’ (generally young, slender, and often with no body hair) who is growing out of that phase.

In the lengthy post Sivan described flitting between “feeling like I’m aging in a good way” and “feeling like Gollum’s very close pop-singing relative”. He also described feeling “somehow both skinny and fat at the same time”.

The “One Of Your Girls” singer said he’s struggled with body image “for a lot of my life”. Recognising that he’s “historically famously twinky”, Sivan said he’s transitioning out of that and is “not THAT skinny anymore”.

Reaffirming his body positive ethos, Sivan said he fluctuates between two approaches to dealing with body image pressures. The first is a healthier approach and is based around some advice he’s been given “from a person at the very top of the fashion world – ‘stay ugly’. Ie. don’t f*** with your face”.

He continued: “How cool!! When everyone else has the same nose and no wrinkles and no smile lines and filler that’s migrated all the way down to their necks, you’ll be so happy and chic and weathered and wise.”

Sivan also shared he’d been going to the gym more, eating more and tracking calories “in a way that feels less toxic than it sounds” and that he’s been getting “more muscley [sic], defined, and toned.”

The second approach is more toxic. Discussing more of his anxieties, the “Bloom” singer shared he’d had a consultation to have fat from his leg put under his eyes and been recommended botox. However, he said: “I really don’t want that frozen look,” adding: “The cracks are starting to show though.”

He then wrote: “What good is money and modern medicine if not to fix all of these flaws that this random sicko f**** plastic surgeon told me I have in an Instagram reel?” sharing Dr Zayn’s post.

He also described feeling awkward on red carpets and how he didn’t feel he looked good while attending the NGV Gala in December. Videos from that event are what Dr Zayn used to pick apart Sivan’s image.

Sivan said hearing Dr Zayn’s unsolicited advice pushed him towards getting treatments, made worse by the “all-knowing, eternally and deeply evil algorithm” which sent content about treatments to the Aussie pop star.

As to which approach would win out, Sivan advised: “Keep your eyes on my under eyes for updates.” Closing his post he put: “I’m patient with myself, and understand and respect both approaches. It’s us vs species-endingly-insatiable corporate greed, with access to addictive brainwashing technology. Good luck!!!!”

He later edited the piece to change the title and say he’d heard from Dr Zayn, who had removed the video and “sent me a really thoughtful and sweet message apologising”. Sivan signed off: “No hard feelings from my side whatsoever.”

Sivan has responded to critics of how he looks in the past telling them: “I like my body and I think that makes some people uncomfortable.”

He’s also been criticised for the lack of body diversity in the “Rush” music video. To that he said he “definitely hears the critique” but also discussed his own body image issues. “Everyone’s body is as beautiful as it is, including my own, and it just sucks to see people talking about other people’s bodies,” he said.

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