Sydney Sweeney has been a main staple of pop culture recently. From her relationships to her salary to her endorsement deals — everything sparks conversation about how she chooses to use her celebrity status. Now, Sweeney has finally taken a moment to analyze why she faces so much backlash, and she said she found it interesting how it was the girls who mainly had an issue with her Dr. Squatch bathwater soap.
The Euphoria star sat down with the Wall Street Journal, where she reflected on how much her career has evolved since she stated that her generation of actors could not take breaks because of how little they make. Sweeney was pointing to the fact that salaries have significantly dropped since the shift into the streaming era and that there are no real residuals for TV actors. So actors have had to pivot and adapt with side businesses, endorsements, and working more often.
For instance, during the much-criticized Jeff Bezos Venice wedding, Sweeney was notably present despite people in the know being unaware of her relationship with the couple prior to the event. Apparently, that was a strategic move by the registered Republican, as she’s starting a lingerie company that is getting significant financial backing from the Amazon founder.
Sweeney received considerable backlash for fraternizing with the unpopular billionaire, but she paid it no heed and refused to comment on it. What she did choose to address, however, was her bizarre Dr. Squatch soap infused with her bathwater. The limited edition soap, of course, was sold out immediately. But there were plenty of people online who just couldn’t understand why one of the generation’s leading actors had to engage in such shock-jock tactics.
Well, Sweeney wants everyone to know she’s been reading the comments, and she knows exactly who her loudest critics are. “It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting,” Sweeney said. “They all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater.”
Elordi’s bathwater was part of an iconic scene from Saltburn, a fictional movie. Well, that was a little different from actually selling bathwater soap in real life. It’s almost like if someone who became a vigilante in real life went around the city beating up clowns, got caught by police, and their defense was, “But you all loved the idea of Christian Bale as Batman.”
The criticism of her female fans eventually made it to X, and as one can imagine, Sweeney’s statements didn’t change their minds. One user commented that they didn’t want Elordi’s bathwater either. Another implored Sweeney to clear up her other, more pressing allegations.
I promise you no woman wants to bath with a soap called “Jacob Elordi’s bathwater”
— 𝚒𝚟𝚢that’s the type of weird marketing that only works on men
(@periwinklhaze) August 21, 2025
girl u have other allegations to clear not this…
— k (@overactina) August 20, 2025
That’s not the backlash she should be commenting on lol talk about deflecting
— ali(@thecblive) August 20, 2025
Sweeney clearly has no issue being the internet’s villain of the day. But whether her recent antics are actually turning into ticket sales at the box office is another matter. Her latest film Americana, which just came out, is already being branded a flop. So it seems that her flirtation with controversial ads about jeans and bathwater soap is doing little to help her ingratiate herself with the moviegoing public as their next star.
