‘I’m against hate’ after American Eagle Backlash
Sydney Sweeney recently mentioned it People magazine that “I’m against hate” as she reflects on the controversy that erupted earlier this year over her American Eagle jeans ad. The campaign was centered around the slogan ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’. The pun surrounding “big genes” sparked outrage online, with many on social media claiming the company was glorifying the actor’s white heritage and thin physique. Some even compared the ads to “Nazi propaganda.”
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” Sweeney told People. “I did it because I love the jeans and the brand. I don’t support the positions some people chose to join the campaign. Many have assigned motifs and labels to me that are simply not true.”
“Anyone who knows me knows that I always try to bring people together. I am against hate and division,” Sweeney added. “My position in the past has been to never respond to negative or positive press, but recently I have come to realize that my silence on this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year will bring more attention to what unites us rather than what divides us.”
Sweeney kept quiet about the controversy for months before speaking about it for the first time in an interview with GQ magazine last month. The Emmy nominee said she was never tempted to draft a formal statement explaining or defending the ads during the height of the criticism because “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think.”
“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know I’m a nice person,” Sweeney said. “I know I love a lot, and I know I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am… I knew ultimately what that ad was for, and it was a great pair of jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other.”
As the controversy made national headlines, White House communications manager Steven Cheung weighed in, calling the response a prime example of “fixing the culture that has run amok.” Vice President J.D. Vance then mocked the Liberals for creating hysteria around the campaign. The controversy worked all the way up to Donald Trump, who was asked about the ads amid reports that Sweeney was also a registered Republican and responded, “She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad! You’d be surprised how many people are Republicans… If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I love her ad!”
Sweeney told GQ magazine that “it was surreal” to have Trump and Vance weigh in on the ads, but she didn’t pay attention to the controversy in general.
“I just put my phone away,” the actor said. “I was filming every day. I’m filming ‘Euphoria,’ so I work sixteen hours a day and I don’t really take my phone with me on set, so I work and then I go home and sleep. So I didn’t really see much of it.”
Sweeney next stars in “The Housemaid,” in theaters Dec. 19. To read her latest interview in its entirety, visit People magazine’s website.
