Sydney Sweeney Steps Out for First Time Since Jean Ad Controversy

Sydney Sweeney has made her first public appearance following the fallout over her American Eagle jeans campaign.

The 27-year-old Euphoria star attended a screening of her new movie Americana in Los Angeles.

Sweeney has yet to comment publicly on the ad controversy or the public reaction to her latest appearance.

Newsweek contacted a representative for Sweeney via email outside of regular working hours on Monday.

Why It Matters

Both Sweeney and American Eagle came under fire after the actress appeared in an ad campaign for the brand. The campaign has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans,” which drew backlash on social media and sparked a discourse about racism and eugenics.

American Eagle addressed the controversy in an Instagram post on Saturday, writing, “‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans.”

What To Know

Sweeney walked the red carpet at the Americana screening, smiled for the cameras and posed for photos by herself and with her castmates, including, the singer Halsey and actor Simon Rex.

Americana is a crime thriller which was shot in 2022. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest in 2023 and is scheduled to be released later this month. It also stars Paul Walter Hauser, Eric Dane and Zahn McClarnon.

In the American Eagle ad, Sweeney, clad in a blue double-denim look, said, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color…my jeans are blue.”

Discourse about the campaign played out across TikTok, Instagram, Threads and X, with critics arguing that the play on “genes” echoes eugenics ideology, which promoted white genetic superiority and enabled the forced sterilization of marginalized groups.

Brett Staniland, a model and sustainable fashion advocate, previously told Newsweek that “this specific campaign has sparked backlash for multiple reasons—firstly the terminology and its inferences suggest a connection to Sydney Sweeney’s appearance being perfect, denoting her blonde hair, blue eyes and white skin, as well as her body.”

The backlash though, was dismissed by many, with some users viewing the play on words as creative marketing, and others celebrating the ad for what they described as a pushback against “woke.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung called the backlash as “cancel culture run amok” on X.

Following the fallout over the advert, it was revealed that Sweeney is a registered Republican Party member. She is a member in Florida and has been since June of 2024, according to publicly available voter registration records reviewed by Newsweek and multiple news outlets.

President Donald Trump responded to Sweeney’s political affiliation after he was questioned by reporters about it. “She’s a registered Republican? Oh, now I love her ad!” he said

Despite the uproar, American Eagle’s stock price has increased since the ad’s release.

What People Are Saying

American Eagle, in a statement shared to Instagram: “The ad campaign is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

President Donald Trump, asked about Sweeney’s Republican registration, told reporters on Sunday: “You’d be surprised at how many people are Republicans. That’s what I wouldn’t have known. But I’m glad you told me that. If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic!”

Dr. Brett Staniland, a model and sustainable fashion advocate, previously told Newsweek: “We are at a particularly sensitive time in the world. The public are now hyper aware of messaging and the actual undertones of what is being said.”