Sydney Sweeney has said she should have addressed the controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans advert, which critics accused of flirting with eugenics, admitting her silence 'widened the divide' between people. The actor, known for her role in Euphoria, told People magazine she regretted not speaking out during the row, which even drew a comment from Donald Trump.
The 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' campaign, launched in the summer, was a commercial success, making American Eagle the most popular jeans brand for 15- to 25-year-olds and boosting its stock by 30%. However, the ad featuring a blond-haired, blue-eyed model was criticised for carrying undertones of white supremacy, with some social media users comparing it to 'Nazi propaganda'. Forbes also urged the brand to reconsider the campaign, noting a 9% drop in store visits by the end of summer.
Sweeney said she was 'honestly surprised by the reaction', explaining she did the ad because she loves the jeans and the brand. 'I don't support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign,' she added. 'Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren't true.' She emphasised that she is 'against hate and divisiveness' and hopes the new year brings focus on what connects people.
The actor, considered an outside bet for an Oscar for her role in the biopic Christy, had mostly avoided discussing the ad in interviews but described Trump's involvement as 'surreal'.
