Sydney Sweeney Responds to American Eagle Jeans Controversy: “It Didn’t Affect Me One Way or the Other”
Sydney Sweeney is finally addressing the controversy around her American Eagle jeans campaign earlier this year.
In a new cover story with GQ, she explained that the backlash didn’t really affect her. “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… 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,” Sweeney said.
The campaign, which used the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” sparked controversy because some people online claimed it celebrated Sweeney’s white heritage and slim physique.
Social media reactions were extreme, with some even comparing the ads to Nazi propaganda. The debate grew so large that figures like President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance commented publicly.
Despite the public attention, Sweeney said she mostly ignored the controversy. “I kind of just put my phone away,” she told GQ. “I was filming every day. I’m filming ‘Euphoria,’ so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn’t really see a lot of it.”
She did notice American Eagle’s stock rising 38% amid the debate. “I was aware of the numbers as it was going. So when I saw all the headlines of in-store visits were down a certain percentage, none of it was true. It was all made up, but nobody could say anything because [the company was] in their quiet period. So it was all just a lot of talk,” she said.
Sweeney also reflected on how she deals with public opinions about her politics or projects. Promoting her biopic Christy, about boxer Christy Martin, she shared, “I think that if somebody is closed off because of something they read online to a powerful story like ‘Christy,’ then I hope that something else can open their eyes to being open to art and being open to learning, and I’m not going to be affected by that.”
The actress emphasized that she has always focused on her own values and identity, rather than letting others define her. “I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person,” she said. “I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!