Nearly four months after her controversial American Eagle ad that was likened to “Nazi propaganda”, Sydney Sweeney says she’s “against hate” and opened up about her silence.
The viral American Eagle jeans ad stirred a lot of controversy due to Sweeney’s dialogue while showing off the blue jeans, saying, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
Many have argued that the campaign’s tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was a play on the term “great genes” and promoted eugenics. Because of this, there was a lot of backlash towards the ad.
At the end of November, Sweeney received backlash for her dismissive behavior about the ad when talking to GQ, saying, “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.”
Recently, the actress made another comment to clarify her position about the topic, saying that she is someone who “leads with kindness.”
“I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true,” the actress told People. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” she said.
“In the past, my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press, but recently I have come to realise that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it,” Sweeney shared. “I hope this New Year’s brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
Sweeney also said having the support of President Donald Trump was “surreal,” who told reporters that Sweeney’s ad was “fantastic.” The president also exclaimed how happy he was that the actress was a “registered Republican.”
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