At a glance
- Sydney Sweeney defended her controversial American Eagle ‘good genes’ ad, calling the backlash ‘uncontrollable’
- Critics accused the campaign of echoing racist eugenics rhetoric, but Sweeney refused to apologise or condemn it
- The Euphoria star’s response has fueled further criticism, with fans accusing her of dodging accountability
Sydney Sweeney has dismissed criticism of her controversial American Eagle ‘good genes’ advert, insisting the backlash was “uncontrollable”/
The 27 year-old actress who rose to fame through her role as Cassie Howard in Euphoria appeared to be celebrating a career high when she landed the ad. The actress’ performance as Cassie had been so critically acclaimed that it landed her an Emmy and secured her place as a household name.
But this career high veered perilously close to crashing down when her American Eagle ad went public. The controversial ad, which used wordplay to make parallels between ‘good jeans’ and ‘good genes’ was hit with a firestorm of backlash from critics, who pointed out that the language was dangerously close to the racist rhetoric deployed by eugenicists.
Sweeney was slammed by commentators and fans alike, and accused of participating in a campaign which celebrated white supremacy and used racist dog whistling to garner clicks.
Despite the clear incentive to speak up, Sweeney stayed tight-lipped on the controversy, before finally speaking up in an interview last week.
Speaking to The Guardian, it was clear the actress intended to use the interview to promote her new film Christy, and avoid any discussion of the hot topic at hand. Sweeney refused to condemn the commercial and maintained that she had no control over how it was perceived.
Swerving the question, Sweeney said; “I think what’s interesting is I’m always myself. I’m always just me. But it’s what other people put on me that’s uncontrollable.
Directly addressing interviewer, Rachel Areosti, she said: “Like you’re going to write this article … Then people will read it and have their own perception. So I try and be as much of me as possible, but it’s always through other people’s lenses.”
In an interview with GQ, she said: “I did a jean ad. 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.'
Fans accused the star of wilfully missing the point, in a move which saw Sweeney’s popularity slump even further.
This isn’t the first time the actress has been grilled for her political leanings. In 2022, she was side-eyed by fans who stumbled upon pictures of guests at her mother’s 60th birthday party sporting MAGA hats and Blue Lives Matter shirts.
Sydney Sweeney responds to backlash for sharing family event photos where an attendee was wearing ‘Blue Lives Matter’ shirt and others were sporting parody MAGA hats. pic.twitter.com/1PlwwBXc0B
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 27, 2022
In response, the star posted on X: “You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my mom’s milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the intention.
“Please stop making assumptions,” she added.
During the apex of the ad’s controversy, even Donald Trump himself responded, calling the campaign “the hottest ad ever”. This came (inconventiently, for the star) after news that Sweeney is a registered Republican was made public.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Euphoria co-star Zendaya is refusing to do press with Sweeney due to an alleged fall-out.
Throughout the duration of the controversy, the actress maintained that she hadn’t followed the response to the ad as she had been busy at work and away from her phone.
She said: 'It was surreal… it’s not that I didn’t have that feeling, but I wasn’t thinking of it like that. Or like, of any of it. 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'.
Despite being given multiple opportunities, Sweeney repeatedly refused to apologise, defend, or clarify whether the ad condoned ‘genetic superiority’. Instead, the star took to social media to promote her new film Christy, in a move which has been perceived by many as flouting responsibility for her participation in the campaign.
Despite her best efforts, she remains unable to escape criticism from her 25.4M followers, who flood her comment section with further questioning about whether the actress affiliates herself with white supremacy.
As if attempting to starve out her fans, Sweeney finally acknowledged the ad in a vague statement to GQ.
She said: “I think that when I have an issue that I want to speak about, people will hear.”
