Sydney Sweeney’s “good jeans” ad with American Eagle is just the latest backlash the actress has faced.
In 2022, Sweeney was under fire when pictures of her mom’s surprise 60th birthday surfaced. She was quickly slammed for including customized “Make Sixty Great Again” hats, which guests donned.
Sweeney was also caught in drama by sparking affair rumors with her “Anyone But You” co-star, Glen Powell, while shooting the movie. Both have since denied the claims.
Despite the uproars over the past several years, Sweeney has created a personal brand that is a “fortified bunker” that “cancel cannonballs bounce off harmlessly,” according to brand expert Eric Schiffer.
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“Only a radioactive felony mugshot could pierce her ironclad darling status — short of that, critics punch air. Perhaps selling out to a manipulative woke boycott against her own audience could torch loyalty or betraying her small-town authenticity for Hollywood virtue-signal cash would look catastrophic,” he told Fox News Digital.
Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR and a crisis communications expert, told Fox News Digital that there are three reasons Sweeny has been able to “dance between raindrops” when it comes to controversy.
“1) her grassroots fanbase, built over the course of several years; 2) the changing political and cultural climate today, compared to 2020; 3) the nature of the purported ‘controversies’ themselves,” he said.
Eldridge went on to say that, “Sweeney is largely seen as the golden girl, both for marketers and movie studios, alike. She draws eyeballs, interest, and engagement, all of which are the key variables in the overarching ‘monetization equation.'”
“She has remained largely immune from outside controversy, so as long as she is aware of the dangers of self-sabotage, Sweeney has liked laid the cornerstones for a remarkably strong career,” he said.
On Friday, American Eagle took to Instagram and shared an official statement, firing back at the backlash.
Earlier this week, the clothing company released its latest campaign with the “Euphoria” actress, titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” Following the launch, there has been a mix of reactions on social media.
Some have dubbed the campaign as “tone-deaf” due to the alleged racial undertones, and others have praised the actress for killing “woke” advertising.
In a promo video posted to the brand’s Instagram, the 27-year-old walked toward an AE billboard featuring her and the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes.” Sweeney crossed out “Genes” and replaced it with “Jeans” before walking away.
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According to Salon, the term “great genes” was historically used to “celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness.”
In a second ad, Sweeney is seen laying down and fastening her jeans while saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color.” The camera then pans up to her blue eyes. “My jeans are blue.”
Fans were quick to share their disappointment over the ad.
“Entirely tone-deaf,” one user commented on Instagram.
“This is what happens when you have no [people] of color in a room. Particularly in a time like this. This ad campaign got so caught up in this ‘clever’ play on words and this stunt the [people] in the room missed what was so blatantly obvious to anyone not White,” another wrote.
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Some others in the comments called out the ad for allegedly being “Nazi propaganda.”
“Oh cute she’s in her Nazi propaganda era,” one user wrote.
However, some were quick to come to the brand, and Sweeney’s, defense. “It doesn’t hurt ANYONE. That’s the point. It’s literally an advertisement for jeans. Not for nazism,” one person wrote.
“I don’t get why people don’t like this? It’s cute and clever,” another added.
“Woke advertising is dead. Sydney Sweeney killed it,” one user wrote on X.
In response to the backlash, American Eagle stated, “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her Jeans. Her Story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way.”
“Great jeans look good on everyone,” the statement concluded.
Three years ago, critics took aim at Sweeney’s mother’s birthday party, which prompted her to speak out.
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Sweeney was bewildered to learn that certain assertions were being made about her because of the clothing and accessories that guests at her party chose to wear, some of which had been intentionally made for the event.
At the time, she took to X to share a message with her fans.
“You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my moms milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement.”
In images shared by her brother, guests of the party were seen wearing hats that were apparently derived from President Donald Trump’s MAGA — or “Make America Great Again” — slogan.
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The hats, which are frequently imitated, were not intended to cause such an uproar, according to Sweeney, who wrote that it “was not the intention,” and to “please stop making assumptions.”
In one photo, a male guest was seen wearing a “Blue Lives Matter” shirt, photographed next to Sweeney’s mother and grandmother as they gathered around the cake.
The star’s mother was treated to a surprise hoedown in 2022, where all guests were decked out in cowboy attire. Sweeney planned the event, which included a bull ride and dancing.
One year later, Sweeney was at the center of headlines again when she and her co-star Glen Powell sparked romance rumors during the premiere of their movie, “Anyone But You,” in 2023.
In 2024, Sweeney hosted “Saturday Night Live” and addressed her alleged affair with Powell.
“The craziest rumor I’ve seen is that while I was filming ‘Anyone But You’ I was having an affair with my co-star Glen Powell. That’s obviously not true,” she told the giggly crowd of her romantic-comedy. “Me and my fiancé produced the movie together, and he was there the entire shoot.”
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“I just want to let everyone know that he’s the man of my dreams, and we’re still together and stronger than ever. He even came here tonight to support me,” she exclaimed, asking the “SNL” cameras to cut to her then-fiancé.
The camera panned to a “clueless” Powell, who looked displeased upon the realization he was on television, much to the audience’s glee.
“That’s not my fiancé, he’s in my dressing room,” Sweeney joked.
When the romance speculation began, Sweeney was engaged to Jonathan Davino. The pair called off their engagement in March. Powell was engaged to Gigi Paris but split in 2023 amid rumors of a romance with Sweeney.
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
