Sydney Sweeney Finally Addresses American Eagle Controversy: ‘I’m Against Hate and Divisiveness’

Sydney Sweeney has finally addressed the denim drama over her controversial American Eagle ad after months of avoiding the subject, saying in a new interview that she’s “against hate and divisiveness.” 

This past summer, the actress starred in American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign. The pairing of Sweeney — who has blonde hair and blue eyes — with the tagline “has great jeans/genes” led some on the left to accuse the campaign of subtly dog-whistling eugenics and white supremacy, while the right — and even President Trump — applauded the ad.

“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” Sweeney told People in a new interview. “I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”

The ad campaign was widely mocked and scrutinized (by the left) or widely celebrated and defended (by the right), but Sweeney herself sat out much of the controversy, initially refusing to talk about it during press junkets for her movie and sidestepping questions in interviews. “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,” Sweeney told GQ in November.

However, speaking to People while promoting new film The Housemaid, Sweeney finally weighed on the controversy, recognizing “recently” that not speaking about the situation only made matters worse.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness,” Sweeney said. “In 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.”

From Rolling Stone US.