Sydney Sweeney Breaks Silence on American Eagle Ad Controversy, Condemns Divisiveness
LOS ANGELES – Actress Sydney Sweeney has addressed the controversy surrounding her recent American Eagle jeans campaign, stating she is “against hate and divisiveness” and explaining her decision to speak out after initially remaining silent. The campaign, launched late last year, sparked online backlash over a tagline - “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” – which some interpreted as a reference to “great genes” and a promotion of eugenics.
The controversy centered on a portion of the advertisement where Sweeney states, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” Critics argued the phrasing played on the term “great genes,” alluding to eugenics. The resulting online criticism prompted a statement from American Eagle clarifying the campaign’s intent: “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”
Sweeney, a two-time Emmy nominee, explained her initial silence stemmed from a long-held practice of not responding to press, but she realized that approach had inadvertently fueled the debate. “In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide,not closed it,” she said. ”so I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
Previously, in a November interview with GQ, Sweeney expressed surprise at the reaction, stating, “I did a jean ad.I mean, the reaction definitely was a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear are jeans. I’m literally in jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life.” She also noted it was “surreal” to see the President and Vice President discuss the advertisement.
Sweeney reiterated to GQ that she understood the ad’s purpose and remained unaffected by the criticism. “I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other,” she said. “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think … when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
