Earlier this year, Sydney Sweeney found herself in the middle of a national controversy. The issue occurred when she took part in an American Eagle advert. The slogan that caused the stir was, "Sydney Sweeney has great jeans."
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While the advert was designed to promote American Eagle denim, the verbiage left a lot open to interpretation, with many seeing some highly negative connotations. Now, months after the fallout, Sweeney has broken her silence on the backlash during a Dec. 5 interview with People.
"I was honestly surprised by the reaction," Sweeney said. "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."
It would appear that the nature of the controversy also hurt Sweeney. During the same interview, she discussed her stance on some of the most divisive issues in current Western society.
"Anyone who knows me knows that I'm always trying to bring people together. I'm against hate and divisiveness," she says. "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."
Until this interview, Sweeney had remained tight-lipped about the stir her advert caused. However, it would appear that she's looking to set the record straight.
Sydney Sweeney Was Isolated From Most of the Backlash
In an earlier interview with GQ, Sweeney noted that for the majority of the backlash following the advertisement, she was isolated due to filming for "Euphoria."
"I kind of just put my phone away," Sweeney explained. "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."
Being so far removed from the online vitriol was likely the best-case scenario for Sweeney. After all, things certainly got heated on both sides. Now that she's addressed her stance and attempted to clear the air, she can move forward with her career, and that starts with the Dec. 22 release of "The Handmaid."
