{"id":429227,"date":"2025-12-06T17:25:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429227\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T17:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T17:25:14","slug":"im-against-hate-after-american-eagle-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/429227\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’m Against Hate’ After American Eagle Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSydney Sweeney<\/a> recently told People magazine<\/a> that \u201cI\u2019m against hate\u201d while looking back at the controversy that erupted over her American Eagle jeans ad earlier this year. The campaign was centered on the tagline \u201cSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.\u201d The pun around \u201cgreat genes\u201d ignited\u00a0outrage online<\/a>, with many on social media alleging the company was glorifying the actor\u2019s white heritage and thin physique. Some\u00a0even compared<\/a>\u00a0the ads to \u201cNazi propaganda.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI was honestly surprised by the reaction,\u201d Sweeney told People. \u201cI did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don\u2019t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren\u2019t true.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAnyone who knows me knows that I\u2019m always trying to bring people together. I\u2019m against hate and divisiveness,\u201d Sweeney added. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSweeney stayed silent on the controversy for months before talking about it for the first time<\/a> in an interview with\u00a0GQ magazine<\/a>\u00a0last month. The Emmy nominee said she was never tempted to put together a formal statement explaining or defending the ads during the height of backlash because \u201cI\u2019ve always believed that I\u2019m not here to tell people what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI know who I am. I know what I value. I know that I\u2019m a kind person,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cI know that I love a lot, and I know that I\u2019m just excited to see what happens next. And so I don\u2019t really let other people define who I am\u2026 I knew at the end of the day what that ad was for, and it was great jeans, it didn\u2019t affect me one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the controversy became national headlines, White House\u00a0communications manager Steven Cheung weighed in<\/a>\u00a0by calling the backlash a prime example of \u201ccancel culture run amok.\u201d Vice President JD Vance then\u00a0mocked liberals\u00a0<\/a>for creating a hysteria around campaign. The controversy worked itself all the way up to Donald Trump, who got asked about<\/a>\u00a0the ads amid reports that Sweeney was also a registered Republican and responded: \u201cShe\u2019s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad! You\u2019d be surprised at how many people are Republicans\u2026 If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSweeney told\u00a0GQ magazine\u00a0<\/a>that \u201cit was surreal\u201d to have Trump and Vance weighing in on the ads, but she did not pay attention to the controversy at large.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI kind of just put my phone away,\u201d the actor said. \u201cI was filming every day. I\u2019m filming\u00a0\u2018Euphoria,\u2019\u00a0so I\u2019m working 16-hour days and I don\u2019t really bring my phone on set, so I work and then I go home and I go to sleep. So I didn\u2019t really see a lot of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSweeney next stars in \u201cThe Housemaid,\u201d in theaters Dec. 19. Head over to People magazine\u2019s website<\/a> to read her latest interview in its entirety. <\/p>\n