Sydney Sweeney Opens Up for First Time on Her Controversial American Eagle Campaign: ‘I Did a Jean Ad’
When Sydney Sweeney sat down with GQ for her November 4 interview, the conversation touched on many subjects: her growing career as a producer, her upcoming roles, and how she navigates fame. But inevitably, it returned to the advertisement that ignited months of online debate — the fall 2025 campaign from American Eagle titled “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” It was the campaign that, more than any other in recent months, became a flashpoint in a broader cultural skirmish. And from her words, Sweeney did something rare: she spoke.
In the campaign that launched on July 23, Sweeney appears in denim for American Eagle. At one point a banner reads “Sydney Sweeney has great genes,” the word “genes” crossed out and replaced by “jeans.” Another line has her stating: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
What followed was a maelstrom. Social media users accused the campaign of being tone-deaf, arguing that the pun “great genes/great jeans” coupled with using a blonde, blue-eyed, white actress evoked themes of genetic superiority and eugenics. Others saw it as a simple denim ad — harmless wordplay. On August 1, American Eagle responded via Instagram: “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Until now, Sweeney had remained largely silent on the matter. In the GQ interview, she described her reaction plainly: “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.”
She admitted she didn’t follow the backlash in real time. “I kind of just put my phone away. I was filming every day. I was 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.”
When asked if the campaign worried her — whether it might jeopardise how people view her or the projects she chooses — Sweeney was firm. “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.”
The timing of her comments is notable. Her campaign for American Eagle dropped four months ago and yet had already been touched by high-profile commentary. Conservative figures, including Donald Trump, weighed in, praising the advertisement. Trump quipped that he “loved her ad” after learning Sweeney was a registered Republican in Florida — a detail she has never publicly discussed.
The roles Sweeney is prioritising — from her acclaimed turn in Euphoria to her producing work and her lead role in the biopic Christy — suggest a star whose ambitions stretch beyond modelling jeans. In her GQ feature, she opened up about the personal resonance of playing pioneering boxer Christy Salters Martin, and how working on powerful narratives helps define her.
Still, the jeans ad remains the loudest moment. Analysts noted the campaign generated massive awareness. According to reports, American Eagle’s stock price surged following the controversy. One headline described the campaign as having “launched a thousand critiques.”
For the actress, the episode seems to have crystallised how she wishes to operate: gracefully, selectively, and grounded. She explained, “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think. I’m just here to kind of open their eyes to different ideas.”
Critically, this marks a shift. Sweeney’s earlier celebrity fame had tended to ride high on marketing stunts — from her virally sold “bathwater soap” collaboration to bold endorsements for brands like Armani Beauty and Laneige. Now she is moving toward projects that speak louder, telling larger stories. And the jeans campaign — the one that thousands of watts of hype and critique targeted — may just have been a turning point.
It also raises important questions about advertising, representation and culture. Was this a harmless play on words turned social-media avalanche? Or was it a brand tip-toeing the razor’s edge of identity politics and acceptable beauty standards? The backlash suggested the latter for many observers — pointing to past campaigns such as the iconic (and controversial) Calvin Klein ad that featured a 15-year-old Brooke Shields. Critics argued that the American Eagle campaign echoed that earlier flashpoint, but with the added modern tension about whiteness, genetics and corporate messaging.
On the other hand, brand executives defend it as a calculated success. The message, they say, was simply about confidence and the fit of the jeans. The company noted that the campaign delivered “unprecedented new customer acquisition,” and that the teenager-to-adult demographic they target responded strongly.
For Sweeney, the episode has provided clarity. She maintains that her role in the campaign was the role she agreed to: a celebrity-face advertising a clothing line. And despite the storm, or maybe because of it, she remains focused on her next act. She concluded in the interview: “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’m just excited to see what happens next.”
In an era when every commercial tie-up, every campaign, every public image is potentially mined for ideological meaning, Sweeney’s message is simple: she signed up to sell jeans — not to spark a geo-political culture war. Whether critics believe that or not, what remains true is that her silence has lifted, and with it comes a resolve to shape her own narrative. And for someone already wielding both acting and producing credits, that narrative just may be the next big story.
