Sydney Sweeney Breaks Silence on American Eagle Jeans Controversy

Months after her American Eagle Jeans campaign sparked some controversy, Sydney Sweeney is breaking her silence on the matter!

In a GQ interview, Sweeney admitted that she was “surprised” by the backlash of the campaign, which was slammed for its messaging.

She shared, “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.”

Many weren’t happy with the mention of genes in the campaign, specifically when Sydney said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue.” The argument was the ad was flirting with eugenics.

As for all the celebrity reactions to the “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, Sweeney called it “surreal.”

Her jean campaign even attracted President Donald Trump’s attention, but she said she was too busy with work to see much of the chatter.

She explained, “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 … 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.”

Sydney didn’t make a statement for months, despite the criticism.

She said, “I’ve always believed that I’m not here to tell people what to think… when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”

“I know who I am,” she emphasized. “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.”