Dec 8, 2025, 10:27 amDecember 8, 2025, 11:06 am
This summer, US actress Sydney Sweeney got into a shitstorm because of a jeans advertisement for the “American Eagle” brand. She remained silent about it for a long time – until now.
Sydney Sweeney had an advertising campaign for the American Eagle brand.Image: American Eagle
The heated debate was triggered by the following advertising slogan:
“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”
In German: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.” The highlight behind it: The words Gene and Jeans are pronounced the same in English, so it also means:
“Sydney Sweeney has great genes.”
On some posters this double meaning is even explicitly addressed with the slogan “Sydney Sweeney has great genes”.
Accusations of racism
While some saw the campaign as just a harmless play on words, others accused the ad of having racist undertones. “A white, blue-eyed woman explains to us what good genes are,” wrote users on the Internet. Some even described the campaign as fascist propaganda.
The US jeans brand “American Eagle” responded to the criticism and stood behind the controversial campaign. The advertising always revolved exclusively around jeans.
Sydney Sweeney herself didn’t comment on the criticism for a long time. Now the actress speaks out in the magazine for the first time “People” – with a clear message.
Sydney Sweeney didn’t comment on the advertising campaign for months. Image: imago
Sweeney has a clear stance
Sweeney emphasizes that she does not support the views of some people who celebrated the campaign. She was accused of motives and attributions that were simply not true. Anyone who knows her knows that she always tries to bring people together and takes a clear stand against hatred and division.
Looking back, the actress regrets not having commented on the criticism for months. She tells the magazine:
“My silence has widened the gap.”
Sydney Sweeney
As the campaign went viral and political groups used it for their own purposes, the pressure grew – as did the distance between Sweeney and some of her fans. The actress now wants to actively change the situation and says: “I hope that the new year will be more about what connects us than about what divides us.” (fake)