The bandages – and gloves – were removed for The Weeknd.
The 30-year-old “Starboy” singer shocked fans in his new video clip “Save Your Tears” by removing the bloody bandages he used during his “After Hours” era.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, revealed a dramatically altered face with exaggerated prostheses that seemed to imitate severe plastic surgery – which fans think could be a criticism of their famous ex, Bella Hadid.
“Did Bella Hadid get anything for referring The Weeknd to her plastic surgeon?” tweeted. “The Weeknd is trying to look like Bella Hadid bc, I can see,” wrote another.
A third party said, “The Weeknd is definitely attacking Bella Hadid with all the plastic surgery issues.”
Hadid repeatedly denied rumors of plastic surgery, as did his mother, Yolanda Hadid. “None of my kids ever applied fillers or botox or put anything weird on their bodies,” the former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star told a fan in 2019. “They know better after seeing what I’ve been through” .
In “Save Your Tears,” The Weeknd sings, “I saw you dancing in a crowded room / You look so happy when I’m not with you / But then you saw me, I took you by surprise / A single tear falling from your eye . “
The ex-couple started dating in 2015 and broke up in 2016, but returned to dating in 2017, after the singer had a 10-month affair with Selena Gomez.
In 2019, a few weeks after breaking up again, Hadid and Tesfaye had a date at Catch One nightclub. The model reportedly left after her ex appeared, which could be the incident he refers to in the song.
However, fans are divided over whether “Save Your Tears” is about Hadid or Gomez; some claim hear you whisper the name of the latter in the middle of the song, and believes that the woman in the music video is Gomez’s doppelgänger. Coincidentally, Gomez released a song called “Crowded Room” earlier this year.
No matter the motivation, it is clear that The Weeknd is making a statement about Hollywood beauty standards.