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By Marni Rose McFall
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Sydney Sweeney has come under fire from liberals for her response to a question about the fallout over her American Eagle denim campaign, an advert that sparked one of the year’s biggest online culture wars.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for Sweeney outside of regular working hours via email for comment.
Why It Matters
In June, Sweeney and American Eagle came under fire after the Anyone But You actress appeared in an ad campaign for the brand.
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The campaign had the tagline, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." This line prompted backlash online and sparked discourse about racism and eugenics.
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What To Know
Sweeney was interviewed by Katherine Stoeffel for GQ, and in addition to the interview appearing in print, a video of it was shared to YouTube, with clips circulating online.
Multiple clips show Sweeney discussing the campaign and the fallout. This is the first time she has publicly addressed the backlash, and her response has been highly anticipated.
Asking Sweeney directly about the backlash, Stoeffel said: “The criticism of the content, which is that maybe, specifically in this political climate, white people shouldn’t joke about genetic superiority, like that was kind of the criticism, broadly speaking, and since you are talking about this I just wanted to give you the opportunity to talk about that, specifically.”
Sweeney replied: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Sweeney said that the ad “spoke for itself,” and described the response to the ad from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance as “surreal.”
Her response to Stoeffel has quickly sparked backlash online, as people argue that the interview was an opportunity to address racial concerns and condemn racism.
Social media user @moonroses wrote on X in a post viewed over 50,000 times “sydney sweeney getting the opportunity to denounce white supremacy and not taking it plus saying “when i have an issue i want to speak about , people will hear about it” yeah f*** her.”
One post from the account @KantInEastt on X viewed 2.9 million times reads in part: “Now I understand why people hate her.”
Another post, viewed over a million times by the account @historicalfits, reads “sydney sweeney trying to act cool and unbothered like she didn’t post that video a few years ago sobbing about people on twitter calling her ugly.
Not all posts were critical, for example, social media user @AutismCapital said in a post on X viewed over 260,000 times: “Sydney Sweeney confidently standing up for herself is 100 times more attractive than any photo she could ever post.”
The backlash hasn’t just come from people online, but people in Sweeney’s own industry. The actress Aimee Lou Wood, who starred in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, while Sweeney starred in the first, commented on a video of the interview with a vomit emoji. A screenshot of the emoji has been viewed more than 9 million times on X.
Overall, responses have been divided down party lines, with liberals and the left deriding the advert and conservatives and the right applauding Sweeney’s response.
What People Are Saying
A joint post on Instagram from Misan Harriman, Jupiter Baal, Aja Barber and Joris Lechene, viewed over 700,000 times: “Presuming that you are not a white supremacist, at least say how horrified you were by how this campaign was amplified and celebrated by unrepentant racists who believe in eugenics. At least recognise the harm your jeans campaign has caused black folk, the undertone of the campaign is that your genetics are superior to others, the play on words is clear as day and racists LOVED it! So, presuming you didn’t know when you shot it, you certainly do now, and it matters. This ain't it!”
Social media user @iamyesyouareno, in a post on X viewed over 150,000 times: “Sydney Sweeney isn’t backing down. She’s standing by her ‘Great Jeans’ ad and refusing to apologize. Zero White guilt. Refreshing.”
Social media user @SydSteyerhart, in a post on X viewed over 90,000 times: “Interviewer: Because of your jeans commercial, I want to give you an opportunity to denounce white genetic superiority. Sydney Sweeney: No. Incredible.”
Social media user @SonofManwithus, in a post on X viewed over 90,000 times: “Sydney Sweeney refused to apologize for her "good genes" commercial. She is probably the most bad ass celebrity on the planet right now! Hollywood needs more people like her?”
What’s Next
Sweeney has starring roles in Christy, which will be released on November 7, and The Housemaid, which will be released on December 19.
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