Sydney Sweeney is addressing her viral American Eagle jeans ad again, affirming that she’s “against hate and divisiveness” and does not “support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign.”
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” the actress recently told People. “I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. 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 American Eagle campaign stirred up controversy, partly due to a piece of the advert where Sweeney says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.”
Some argued that the campaign tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” was a play on the term “great jeans” versus “great genes,” and instead was about promoting eugenics. The ad garnered so much online backlash at the time that it prompted American Eagle to respond, releasing a statement that read in part, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story.”
“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” the two-time Emmy nominee continued. “In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.”
The Christy star previously responded to the controversy in a November interview with GQ, where she said: “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.” Sweeney added that it was “surreal” to see the president and vice president speak about the ad.
“I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn’t affect me one way or the other,” she told GQ. “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think … when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
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