The actress was criticized for an advert accusing her of making puns between the words “jeans” and “genes” in the United States.
Sydney Sweeney has once again spoken out about the controversy surrounding an advertising campaign in which he starred for a jeans brand. “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hatred and division,” he said in an interview with People published this Saturday 6.
“In the past, my position has always been to never respond to the media, whether positive or negative, but recently I have had to realize that my silence on this issue only causes division rather than reducing it. So I hope that this new year will put more emphasis on what connects us rather than what divides us,” he continued.
Sydney Sweeney added: “I was really surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love jeans and I love the brand. I do not support the views that some people have chosen to link to the campaign. Many have assigned labels and motivations to me that are simply not true.
Understanding the controversy surrounding Sydney Sweeney and the jeans ad
Last July, American Eagle Outfitters launched an ad campaign featuring the actress using the phrase “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans“, translated to something like “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
The pronunciation of the word “jeans” in English, however, is similar to that of “genes”. Some of the public understood the slogan as a possible play on words in reference to the fact that she was blonde and had blue eyes, emphasizing a specific type of beauty and even accusations of advocating eugenics arose.
Considering the repercussions, his name has received attention from different sectors. It was revealed that Sweeney was affiliated with the Republican Party of the United States, as was President Donald Trump – who commented in support of the ad. The following month, the film Americana, starring Sydney, was considered a box office failure in its opening weekend, attributed to poor campaign response.
The actress only first spoke about the jeans controversy on November 4, in an interview with the magazine GQ. At the time, he said he didn’t expect any adverse reactions to the video. “I did a jeans commercial. I mean, the reaction was definitely a surprise, but I love jeans. I literally wear jeans and a t-shirt every day of my life.”