In 2017, Carrie Underwood suffered an injury that resulted in a subtle scar above her upper lip. In a 2018 Instagram selfie, the scar is more noticeable than ever, and it's gathering a lot of attention.
All eyes have been on Carrie's scar since the country music star fell down her front steps and needed 40 to 50 stitches on her face.
"When I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to know why I might look a bit different," she explained to fans.
Eventually, the country singer posted a throwback photo of herself wearing colorful makeup. Fans quickly became fixated on the photo, which shows her scar more clearly than any other picture so far. But not all of the attention was positive.
While some fans applauded Carrie for proudly showing off her scar in public, others weren't so enthused. Critics called Carrie out for drawing too much attention to the scar — which is, admittedly, barely visible. They called her "narcissistic" and told her to "get over" herself.
See the photo for yourself below.
In 2018, Carrie Underwood posted a throwback selfie of herself wearing colorful makeup while filming the "Love Wins" music video.
Fans were far more interested in another detail, though. The photo clearly shows Carrie's scar, more so than her other selfies had.
Fans had been wondering about Carrie's mysterious scar ever since she ominously told fans that she would "look a bit different" after suffering an injury at home.
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Carrie explained her decision to announce the scar to her fans.
"My biggest worry at the time was that if I said nothing, later on people would pick apart… and wonder, 'What has she done to herself electively?' It definitely was not a choice," the singer said.
However, Carrie has kept relatively quiet about the accident and stayed out of the spotlight for much of the time since the accident. Photos have made the scar difficult to spot.
The secrecy surrounding the scar made the selfie in question, pretty momentous. The selfie also revealed, however, that the scar isn't actually that substantial.
Fans have had a range of reactions to Carrie's telling selfie, but the critics were surprisingly loud.
They've accused Carrie of being narcissistic and dramatic about such a minimal scar — even though Carrie didn't even mention the scar in her caption.
People also felt that Carrie's dramatic reveal was unnecessary.
Others accused Carrie of having lip injections, which is, ironically, the reason that she decided to explain the scar to her fans in the first place — to avoid allegations of plastic surgery.
Some fans, however, were supportive of Carrie and even defended her from the critics.
And some folks with similar experiences chimed in to sympathize.
Carrie's concurrent absence from the spotlight might have had something to do with her injury, but it also might've been due to her fertility struggles at the time.
The star previously suffered three miscarriages in the past few years.
And while some fans were excited about the baby bump, it seems the scar controversy isn't going away anytime soon.
All we have to say is that, scar or no scar, Carrie is absolutely beautiful.
