It’s the ad campaign that sparked many a think-piece and social-media food-fight: Sydney Sweeney’s “great jeans” ads this summer for retailer American Eagle.
The ad copy’s wordplay interchanged “jeans” and “genes” for the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” Some people thought the pun inferred racial superiority. Others thought the campaign was too sexualized.
Still others thought both complaints were a stretch, as “great” is much different than saying “best” or “superior,” and Sweeney has proudly embraced being a sex symbol throughout her career. Even U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in.
Movie/TV star Sweeney, age 28, Sweeney rose to fame with Emmy-nominated roles in HBO shows “Euphoria” and “White Lotus.
After the American Eagle controversy, she stayed mum on the issue publicly, until a November cover story for GQ: “I did a jean ad,” Sweeney told GQ. “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 responded.
Sydney Sweeney stars in American Eagle’s latest campaign. (AP/Courtesy of American Eagle)AP/Courtesy of American Eagle
Now, in an interview with People magazine published Dec. 5, Sweeney has opened up more on the subject.
“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” Sweeney 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.”
Sweeney’s philanthropy got lost in the culture war kerfuffle. All proceeds from her limited-edition American Eagle denim line, “The Sydney Jean,” benefit Crisis Text Line, a nonprofit providing free text-based mental health support and crisis intervention. The design of Sweeney’s AE line includes a butterfly motif symbolizing domestic abuse awareness.
In her People interview, Sweeney said she “leads with kindness.”
She added, “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness. 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.”
Sydney Sweeney arrives at the AFI Fest premiere of “Christy” on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
A Spokane, Washington native, Sweeney recently played the titular role in “Christy,” a biopic on female pro boxer Christy Martin. Next, she’s starring in “The Housemaid,” a Paul Feig-directed psychological thriller based on the Freida McFadden novel of the same name.