Anne Hathaway (Getty Images)

No, Anne Hathaway isn’t trans, although baseless speculation online that she is got so out of hand that Hathaway had to address the situation herself on social media.

Hathaway, who revealed she was expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman back in June, attended the world premiere of her upcoming film The End of Oak Street in Burbank, California, on Sunday (9 August), wearing low-waisted jeans and a flowing top that showed off her baby bump.

Photos from the event made their way online, where one X user made an unsolicited comment about her appearance the next day (10 August), asking: “Why does her belly look off?” alongside a collage of side-profile pictures of another woman’s progressing pregnancy.

Another X user was quick to reply underneath, writing: “She’s wearing a fake pregnancy stomach. She’s not pregnant nor is she a biological woman,” amongst others who wrote messages speculating on the validity of Hathaway’s pregnancy.

Later that day, Hathaway took to her Instagram to post a behind-the-scenes video showing her getting her hair and makeup done, as well as a glimpse into the premiere event itself. She cheekily wrote in the caption: “Fake hair, real bump.”

The term “transvestigating” – a mash-up of trans and investigating – refers to conspiracy theories that falsely claim individuals, typically women, are transgender and are hiding their “true” gender identity.

Celebrities, political figures and professional athletes have all been “accused” of being trans with no evidence other than the conspiracy theorists’ own warped, often misogynistic, view of femininity and gender.

Hathaway isn’t the only celebrity that’s been targeted online in this fashion lately. Earlier this year Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney was targeted by an X user who bizarrely claimed Sweeney was “actually a man” in a post sharing two photos of the actress in a black blazer.

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