Sydney Sweeney – of American Eagle jeans/genes ad, Bezos wedding guest and registered republican fame – appears to be unable (or unwilling) to shake her controversial streak.
Now, even President Donald Trump has weighed in on the matter, sounding the culture wars dog whistle by announcing his support for the star of “the HOTTEST ad out there” on his Truth Social platform.
Not to be confused with Taylor Swift – the other blonde Trump deemed “NO LONGER HOT” in the same post – Sweeney was praised by the president for her role in the American Eagle ad that provoked a week’s worth of discourse that’s apparently, still going. So how exactly did we get here?
It could be the fact that less than a week after the American Eagle ad first aired, Sweeney was spotted on the promotional tour for her upcoming, aptly named film, Americana, appearing positively unfazed by the uproar. Or maybe it’s the headlines surrounding her status as a registered Republican – which, can’t honestly be that much of a revelation after the whole MAGA-themed family reunion thing back in 2022 – but sure …
All that is to say, the competing rhetoric of being labelled a figurehead of “fascist propaganda” by critics, and an anti-woke queen by right-wing commentators (including JD Vance), feels like a lot, but by Sweeney’s own admission, it’s all just business, baby.
Below, we unpack the Sweeney saga currently making headlines.
The Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Jeans Backlash
When the ad for the US-based denim company American Eagle, first aired in late July, it drew the ire of the internet for its apparent sexualisation of Sweeney. But what began as just a regular rinse and repeat reaction to the blonde bombshell (see bathwater-gate) soon turned to the topic of eugenics.
“Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour,” we hear Sweeney purrs as the camera pans over her denim-clad body in the since-deleted video. “My jeans are blue,” she announces, before a man’s voice tells us, “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”
The internet exploded with videos calling the actress out for peddling “fascist ideologies” and likening the ad to “Nazi propaganda.”
“If not eugenics, why eugenics shaped,” one commenter wrote on a subsequent video of Sweeney twirling in an all-denim outfit.
Meanwhile, those across the political aisle applauded the ad, with X (formerly Twitter) coming alive with posts praising the direction. One user wrote: “woke is dead. All hail THE Goddess Sydney Sweeney.”
Has Sydney Sweeney Sweeney Responded?
No, apart from a quick little update on her Americana press tour looks, Sweeney is yet to respond to the criticism (although American Eagle has) – but were we really expecting one?
Her latest advertising campaign might feel like a misstep for the young actress, but it’s hardly one she’s dived into unknowingly – or even naively. After all, she’s navigated the murky waters of commercial partnerships from the very beginning.
She’s signed her famous face to lucrative deals with everyone from beauty brands and ice-cream to flip phones. And lest we forget her men’s soap collab that tried to push hygiene onto disturbingly keen consumers willing to fork out money to bathe with soap made from her bathwater.
To her credit, it’s all part and parcel with her long-term strategy “more is more” strategy, which she’s been open about from the get-go.
“To me that film was a building block, it’s what allowed me to build a relationship with Sony. Without doing Madame Web I wouldn’t have a relationship with the decision-makers over there,” she explained in a 2024 interview with GQ. “Everything in my career I do not just for that story, but strategic business decisions. Because I did that, I was able to sell Anyone But You. I was able to get Barbarella.”
In fact, it’s this very focus that one could argue, explains her nonchalance more than anything.
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