It’s the start of something new.
Zac Efron has seemingly debuted a fresh look, following rumors that he split with his Aussie girlfriend, Vanessa Valladares, after less than a year together.
As he appears to be moving on, the Down to Earth host celebrated Earth Day this week by making a cameo in Earth Day! The Musical, a video that dropped on Facebook Watch on Wednesday, April 21.
However, it wasn’t his chat with Bill Nye The Science Guy that got the Internet buzzing. Instead, fans noticed that Zac, 33, appeared to show off a new sculpted appearance.
One fan commented, “in the past 5 minutes I have seen several recent photos of zac efron and his face has been a different shape in every single one of them.” Another social media user joked that he may not be able to “unlock his phone using Face ID” anymore.
Many fans expressed surprise at the apparent transformation, with one asking why he decided to “ruin” his “perfect face.”
As the photos went viral, diehard fans took to defending The Greatest Showman actor. One questioned why people “are sitting here body shaming him???”
Others noted that the High School Musical alum has faced physical challenges in the past, which may have contributed to his appearance, including when he broke his jaw in 2013 and had his mouth wired shut.
Additionally, Zac has been open about various diets he’s adhered to, in order to look a certain way for roles.
“I’m so happy that I’m eating carbs again,” he said in 2017, per Men’s Health. “I went, like, years without eating carbs.”
He went on, “When I shot Baywatch, I didn’t have a carb for, like, six months… I almost lost my mind. You need this. I still can’t get over how this diet of carbs and low protein is the exact opposite of everything any trainer has ever taught me.”
Given this history, one fan criticized people that are “ripping Zac Efron to shreds without knowing ANYTHING about why he has done it,” tweeting, “I sincerely want you to know you are the reason social media is toxic.”
Zac hasn’t addressed people’s response to the photos directly, though he posted on Instagram for Earth Day to say, “I’ve been so blessed to be able to travel and see all of the amazing things people are doing for the planet. It’s a beautiful world, let’s protect it.”
