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Topics: Sydney Sweeney, Celebrity, Social Media, Entertainment
Madison Burgess
Topics: Sydney Sweeney, Celebrity, Social Media, Entertainment
Sydney Sweeney has finally broken her silence on that jeans ad and the controversy surrounding it.
For those who need a reminder, the Euphoria actress, 28, became the face of American Eagle jeans in July, sparking a widespread debate around the world.
The ad's wordplay with 'jeans' and 'genes' sparked conversations on race and beauty standards, with many criticising Sweeney for the move.
In the social media version of the promo video, the Anyone But You star issued a pun directly into the camera, saying: "My body's composition is determined by my genes."
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The camera then pans down from the 27-year-old's face to her chest, to which she playfully responds: "Hey, eyes up here."
And the ad's tagline then reads: "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans."
Social media users pointed out that the ad implies that blonde hair and blue eyes are considered the ideal standard of beauty, sparking debate about Western beauty standards.
At the time, the backlash to the ad was such a talking point that even US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance got involved.
While all of this was going on, rumours were also swirling that Sweeney was a registered Republican, something which the actor has never officially confirmed.
Reacting to this news, Trump said: "She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad! You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans… If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!"
"Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there," he later added in a Truth Social post, "Go get 'em Sydney!"
Meanwhile, Vance took it as an opportunity to mock those who found issue with the ad, saying at the time: "My political advice to the Democrats is continue to tell everybody who thinks Sydney Sweeney is attractive is a Nazi. That appears to be their actual strategy."
And now, as we say, Sweeney has spoken out on the headline-making ad and Trump's endorsement for the first time.
In an interview with GQ, the actress explained that she doesn't feel the need to respond to any controversy or rumours about herself, adding: "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 that I’m a kind person. 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."
Speaking of the ad specifically, she continued: "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."
And when asked what it was like for the President and VP to comment on the jeans ad, she responded: "It was surreal."
Sweeney went on to add that she 'didn't see a lot' of the comments, as she was 'filming every day' and had 'kind of just put my phone away'.
Now, the star's comments have brought the debate back into the spotlight, and some social media users are hashing it all once again.
One Twitter user argued: "Probably the most successful marketing campaign in the modern era," while a second agreed: "She’s the best! Loved the campaign. Brilliant marketing by AE. Crybabies gonna cry."
However, others are still less than impressed, writing: "Referring to that man mentioning her as 'surreal'" and "'It didn’t affect me one way or another' is the most privileged thing I’ve ever heard…. "
Meanwhile, others chimed in with: "She somehow made this whole thing worse by saying this omg", and "Said a whole lot of nothing. Should've just kept her mouth shut, honestly."
Tyla has contacted a representative for Sweeney for comment.