Regardless, Sydney isn’t letting it stop her from wearing what she wants. “Flaunt what you got. Own it. Love them,” she says. “When I was in high school, I used to feel uncomfortable about how big my boobs were and I used to say that when I turned 18, I was going to get a boob job to make them smaller. And my mom told me, ‘Don’t do it. You’ll regret it in college.’ And I’m so glad I didn’t. I like them. They’re my best friends. Everybody’s body is beautiful. When you are confident and you’re happy within is when it really shows to other people.”
It took a long time for Sydney to learn that; in high school she often wore oversize sweatshirts to disguise her breast size. “I went through that process of covering my body up at such a young age, but once I became more confident with myself, [it changed]. I want to show girls that it’s amazing and beautiful and empowering to have the bodies that we have.”
So what, then, if she wants to post photos of herself in a low-cut swimsuit on Instagram? She’s happy and feeling good. Plus, given the turmoil in the world right now, she’s not trying to use social media for anything other than to entertain and give a window into her life. “I definitely keep my social media focused towards the work that I’m doing and sprinkle in a little bit of myself in there,” she says. “I didn’t go to school to learn politics or social [issues], so I don’t think speaking on things that I’m not fully educated on is the correct way to use my social media presence.”
It’s a different approach than a lot of Gen-Zers, who feel compelled to lend their opinion to everything and anything these days. “I don’t hang out with a lot of people [my age],” she admits. “I just hang out with my family, my team, and a couple of close friends, so I don’t know if I can speak on the entirety of Gen-Z. I can only speak on my own personal experience being within Gen-Z and I think it’s awesome that people can speak up about what is important to them. We’re trying to navigate a world that is constantly changing. Social media’s constantly changing. I wish there was more grace for others and allowing room for others to grow,” she says, no doubt referring to ‘cancel culture’. “I do wish that my generation was better about that.”