Sydney Sweeney has finally addressed the uproar surrounding her American Eagle campaign, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” which dropped back in July and somehow spiraled into a full-blown internet war over denim, genetics, and politics.
In her recent GQ Men of the Year cover story, Sweeney brushed it off. “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,” she said. That’s it. That’s the statement that set off weeks of online talk.
Critics accused the campaign’s tagline of promoting racial superiority because of the wordplay between “jeans” and “genes.” Some even compared it to Nazi propaganda, which is quite the leap for a brand best known for back-to-school sales. The ad itself featured Sweeney explaining that “genes are passed down from parents to offspring” before smiling and saying, “My jeans are blue.” That was enough for some corners of the internet to complain.
And when reporters told Donald Trump that Sweeney was a registered Republican, the 79-year-old former president reportedly lit up: “She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad.” Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance chimed in too, proving that America can’t resist a culture war.
Through it all, Sweeney kept her distance. “I kind of just put my phone away,” she said. “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.”
And the numbers? “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,” she said, adding that American Eagle’s stock actually went up 38% during the controversy.
American Eagle eventually issued a statement clarifying: it was about the jeans. “Her jeans. Her story. Great jeans look good on everyone,” the brand wrote.
Sweeney, meanwhile, has kept her focus on the future. She’s now promoting Christy, her upcoming biopic about boxer Christy Martin, and recently told Variety that she’s done trying to please everyone. “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’m just excited to see what happens next.”
That confidence was on full display at the 2025 Power of Women event, where Sweeney wore a sheer silver Christian Cowan gown that left little to the imagination. “I know what it feels like to have people define you before you’ve had a chance to define yourself,” she told the crowd. Judging by her year so far, Sydney Sweeney isn’t waiting for anyone’s approval.
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