Actor Sydney Sweeney has said she should have addressed controversy surrounding her American Eagle jeans advert, which critics accused of flirting with eugenics. She told People magazine that her silence on the matter 'widened the divide' between people.
The 'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' campaign, launched in the summer, was a commercial success, boosting American Eagle's stock by 30% and making it the most popular jean brand for 15- to 25-year-olds. However, its use of a blond-haired, blue-eyed model sparked accusations of 'nodding to white supremacy' and being comparable to 'Nazi propaganda' on social media.
Former President Donald Trump called the campaign 'the hottest ad out there', while Forbes advised the brand to reconsider. American Eagle store visits reportedly fell by 9% by the end of the summer. Sweeney said she was 'honestly surprised by the reaction' and does not support the views some assigned to the campaign.
'Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,' she added. 'I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us.' Sweeney, a potential Oscar contender for her role in the biopic 'Christy', described Trump commenting on the ad as 'surreal'.
