Sydney Sweeney wasn’t affected by the American Eagle jeans controversy.
Sydney Sweeney caused controversy with her American Eagle jeans advertising campaign
The Euphoria actress was at the centre of a furore earlier this year after starring in the brand’s ‘Great Jeans’ advertisements – which were accused of glorifying her white heritage and physique – and she admits that the response caught her by “surprise” as she felt the campaign was innocuous.
Sydney told GQ magazine: “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… 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.”
The 28-year-old star explained that she never considered addressing the backlash as she doesn’t want others to “define” her.
Sydney said: “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think.
“I know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I’m a kind person. I know that I love a lot, and I know that I’m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don’t really let other people define who I am.”
The Anyone but You actress did find it “surreal” when US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance waded into the debate – although she ignored the controversy for the most part.
Sweeney recalled: “I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day. I’m filming Euphoria, so I’m working 16-hour days and I don’t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn’t really see a lot of it.”
Sydney has been promoting Christy – her new biopic about the female boxing trailblazer Christy Martin – and would be disappointed if people refused to watch the movie because of her involvement in the American Eagle campaign.
She said: “I think that if somebody is closed off because of something they read online to a powerful story like Christy, then I hope that something else can open their eyes to being open to art and being open to learning, and I’m not going to be affected by that.”