Hollywood actor Sydney Sweeney has publicly expressed regret for not addressing a major controversy surrounding an American Eagle jeans advert she fronted, stating her silence "widened the divide" between people.
The Controversial Campaign
The "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans" campaign launched in the summer and was a commercial triumph for the brand. It propelled American Eagle to become the most popular jean for 15 to 25-year-olds and saw the company's stock price rise by an impressive 30%.
However, the advert's imagery, featuring the blond-haired, blue-eyed Sweeney, sparked intense criticism. Many accused it of carrying undertones of eugenics and being "a nod to white supremacy". On social media, some users drew comparisons to Nazi propaganda, while one commentator described it as a message from "the lab where they cook up culture-war pathogens".
Sweeney Breaks Her Silence
In an interview with People magazine, the Euphoria star revealed she has "come to realise that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it". She reiterated that she is firmly "against hate and divisiveness".
"I was honestly surprised by the reaction," Sweeney added. "I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true."
The actor, who found fame on HBO and is now an Oscar outsider for her role in the Christy Martin biopic Christy, concluded with a hopeful note for the new year: "I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."
Political and Commercial Fallout
The backlash was not confined to social media. The campaign drew criticism from across the political spectrum. Financial publication Forbes argued the brand should "reconsider" the campaign and reported that American Eagle store visits had fallen by 9% by the end of the summer.
In a surreal twist, former US President Donald Trump intervened, calling the campaign the "hottest ad out there". Sweeney has since described Trump's comment as "surreal".
Sweeney has largely avoided the topic in promotional interviews until now, but her latest comments mark a clear attempt to address the controversy head-on and distance herself from the interpretations it provoked.
