A low-cut promo for Freakier Friday puts the 66-year-old star’s chest—and Hollywood’s age rules—front and center.
A new Disney promo featuring Jamie Lee Curtis has gone viral for all the reasons you might not expect. The 66-year-old actress appeared in a TikTok clip promoting Freakier Friday, the sequel to the 2003 hit Freaky Friday. Curtis was meant to hype up the film’s themes of family, chaos, and body-swapping hijinks. However, the internet quickly zeroed in on her bold outfit. It was a low-cut denim top that showed off her cleavage.
The TikTok was posted to Disney’s official account. However, it was reshared on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Why would Disney post that 💀💀💀”. In less than 48 hours, the clip racked up over 11.7 million views, 152,000 likes, and sparked a tidal wave of memes, jokes, admiration, and controversy.
For younger viewers, the surprise was discovering that Curtis—best known for her horror legacy in Halloween and her iconic striptease scene in True Lies—was still commanding attention decades later. For older fans, the moment represented something deeper. Curtis is rewriting her own Hollywood narrative after years of pushing back against being labeled a sex symbol.
Reclaiming Her Image: From Reluctant Sex Symbol to Confident Icon
Jamie Lee Curtis has spent much of her career resisting the label of “Hollywood bombshell.” In the 1980s and 1990s, she was often cast in roles that highlighted her figure. Thus, culminating in her Golden Globe-winning turn in James Cameron’s True Lies (1994). Despite the acclaim, Curtis admitted she was uncomfortable with being seen only through a sexualized lens.
In later interviews, she became an outspoken critic of the entertainment industry’s obsession with youth and perfection. Curtis openly condemned plastic surgery. Thus, calling it a “genocide of a generation of women,” and often appeared makeup-free to advocate for authenticity. She even admitted to planning her career around ageism. Thus, fearing she would suffer the same fate as her parents—actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh—who saw opportunities dry up as they aged.
But ithis year, Curtis seems to be embracing a different path. In a July interview with The Guardian, she declared her intent to “look hot at 66.” Therefore, reframing her self-image on her own terms. Her outfit choice for the Freakier Friday promo wasn’t just about turning heads—it was about rejecting the idea that older women should fade into the background.
Audience Reactions: Admiration, Humor, and Boycotts
Online reactions fell into four distinct camps: admiration, humor, political backlash, and empowerment.
Admiration & Nostalgia: Many praised Curtis for “still having it” at her age, sharing side-by-side comparisons of her True Lies role and her Disney promo look. Posts like, “The wrapper may have wrinkles, but the candy is still sweet,” summed up the mood. Younger fans admitted they had no idea Curtis had such a strong sex-symbol past, while older viewers relished the generational shock.
Humor & Surprise: Thousands of replies leaned into jokes. One viral post compared her to the anime character Tsunade from Naruto, known for her exaggerated bust. Others used skull emojis, GIFs, and quips like, “Damn those things are popping.” The juxtaposition of Disney—a family brand—with Curtis’s cleavage created a meme storm.
Criticism & Boycotts: Some users resurfaced Curtis’s pro-Israel stance, reminding others of her 2023 Instagram post during the Israel-Hamas conflict. These replies urged boycotts of Freakier Friday, echoing backlash faced by other Hollywood stars with political affiliations. Roughly 20% of the viral discourse focused on this angle, proving how celebrity promo cycles now intertwine with geopolitical flashpoints.
Empowerment & Defense: A vocal group defended Curtis’s choice. Replies like, “Breasts aren’t inherently sexual,” and, “It’s not like Jamie can leave her boobs at home,” reframed the conversation as one about normalizing aging bodies rather than sexualizing them. Supporters argued that Curtis’s confidence was refreshing in an industry notorious for pushing older women aside.
What This Means for Hollywood’s Views on Age and Representation
Curtis’s viral moment reflects a broader shift in Hollywood and pop culture. Historically, older actresses were sidelined while their male counterparts aged into “silver fox” roles. Today, stars like Helen Mirren in Fast & Furious, Angela Bassett in Black Panther, and even Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia! have proven that visibility and desirability can extend well into later decades. Curtis is the latest example, showing that the industry—and audiences—are increasingly open to seeing older women as vibrant, powerful, and yes, still sexy.
This shift is not without its challenges. Many actresses have spoken about being offered only maternal or secondary roles past 50, while their male co-stars continue to headline blockbusters. Curtis’s decision to embrace her sexuality in a Disney promo of all places undercuts that norm, proving that women can command attention without being written off by ageist standards.
For Disney, it also represents an intriguing gamble. The studio, long known for its carefully curated “family-friendly” image, leaned into the buzz rather than suppressing it. By allowing Curtis’s outfit to become part of the film’s promo cycle, Disney tapped into debates on feminism and body image that extend far beyond the movie itself.
Box Office Success and the Disney Effect
Freakier Friday’s success has clearly benefited from this viral moment. The film, which debuted on August 8, has already grossed $86.3 million worldwide against a $65 million budget. While critics are mixed (73% approval on Rotten Tomatoes), audience scores are glowing—94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.2/10 on IMDb. Much of the praise credits Curtis’s performance and her dynamic with Lindsay Lohan.
The cleavage discourse, while frivolous on the surface, has arguably worked in Disney’s favor. It boosted visibility among younger fans who may not have cared about a sequel to a 22-year-old movie. And it injected Freakier Friday into wider debates about feminism, ageism, and authenticity—subjects with staying power beyond opening weekend.
Conclusion
Jamie Lee Curtis has always been more than Hollywood wanted her to be. Once pigeonholed as a reluctant sex symbol, she’s now reframing her narrative as a 66-year-old icon who can still command headlines, memes, and millions of views with a single outfit. Her bold Disney promo wasn’t just about selling tickets—it was a statement that visibility, confidence, and sex appeal don’t expire with age. For an industry that routinely sidelines women after 40, Curtis standing center stage in a Disney campaign is itself a cultural disruption.
The viral moment may have started with skull emojis and cleavage jokes, but it’s ended up sparking deeper conversations about ageism, representation, and women’s right to define their own image. Whether celebrated as empowering or critiqued as controversial, Curtis has proven that she’s still rewriting the rules of Hollywood—and audiences are watching closely. In that sense, her cleavage may have been the hook, but her legacy is the story.
