Renee Zellweger's face transformation sparks scrutiny

Actress Renée Zellweger at the 21st annual Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in Los Angeles Oct. 20, 2014.[Credit: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni]

At the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards Monday night, an unexpected shift in focus occurred when a visibly different-looking Renee Zellweger stepped on the red carpet. Immediately the Internet was buzzing with a flurry of questions as to why she looked quite unrecognizable.

Suddenly the three words "renee," "zellweger" and "face" became heavily searched words. Not only that, soon people took to their keyboards to weigh in on a debate as to whether Renee has succumbed to Hollywood hypocrisy or if people should just mind their own business. Soon the debate shifted to broader topics ranging from the dangers of plastic surgery to women's rights where their body is concerned.

The 45-year-old actress, however, has been reported to have been shocked and hurt over what was, to her, an unexpected reaction by the public.

Zellweger, however, is not a stranger to plastic surgery rumors. In 2013 she gave an interview to the U.K.'s Daily Mail addressing rumors circulating that she went under the knife and that she was too skinny.

"When you read reports that you are starving yourself or that you are anorexic it's very unfair and disappointing," she said. "It's not very pleasant to read reports which say you've gone too far or this or that."

But despite the hoopla, Renee is said to have declared this incident as something she wishes to move on from. According to her friends, she is now just concerned about new movies and would rather focus on that.