Months after Sydney Sweeney showed off her jeans in an American Eagle ad, the actress is finally speaking out about the scandal she caused—at least sort of.
In an interview with GQ, Euphoria And White Lotus The actress stood by the ad, downplaying how much attention she paid to the internet that followed.
“I did a jeans commercial. I mean, the reaction was definitely a surprise, but I love jeans. All I wear is jeans. I literally wear jeans and a T-shirt every day of my life,” Sweeney told the magazine.
In the ad, Sweeney makes a play on words between jeans (an item of clothing) and genes (genetic material), which some internet users see as having eugenic overtones. Eugenics is the discredited idea that the human race can be improved by selective breeding for certain traits.
“Genes are passed from parents to offspring, often determining traits such as hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” Sweeney says in the ad.
Morgan Westcott, a marketing professor at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, says the American Eagle ad doesn't signal a “shift” but rather reflects a “reimagined concept” and a clear appeal to its target market.
American Eagle responded to the backlash at the time by saying the ad was only about jeans, not genetics.
“We will continue to celebrate how everyone wears AE jeans with confidence and in their own way. Great jeans suit everyone,” the company said. says a post on Instagram.
But Sweeney remained silent despite widespread media coverage and online debate – even after US President Donald Trump called the ad the “HOTTEST ad” and Vice President J.D. Vance addressed it.
“It was surreal,” Sweeney said of how the president and vice president responded.
The actress also told GQ that she “knew the numbers” when American Eagle stock rose. after the ad comes out And again on September 4the day after the company's earnings call, in which the company believe that advertising increased their sales and attracting new clients.
But beyond that, Sweeney said she misses much of the backlash on social media.
“I kind of just put my phone down. I was filming every day. I'm filming Euphoriaso I work 16 hours a day and I don't take my phone with me to the set, so I work and then go home and go to bed. So I didn’t really see any of that,” Sweeney said.
The actress has two upcoming films, including Christiea biography about the career of professional boxer Christy Martin and her experiences with domestic violence, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year.
When asked if she thought the controversy surrounding her might turn some viewers away from watching Christie and after hearing reports of domestic violence, Sweeney said she wasn't concerned. “If someone is shutting down because of something they read on the Internet… then I hope something else can open their eyes,” she said.
