American Eagle Breaks Silence on Sydney Sweeney Controversy With Strong Message
Sydney Sweeney previously revealed she's a classic white t-shirt and jeans kind of girl - but never explicitly mentioned American Eagle.
"I'm very much a white, plain T-shirt kind of girl. I jump around from a bunch of different brands and that kind of depends on what vibe I want to go for," she said. "I have my Levi's white T-shirts and my Cotton On white T-shirts that are just paired with casual jeans. Jean wise: I mean, I love Levi's, Frame, Agolde," she said.
Fast forward to late July and both Sweeney and American Eagle found themselves at the center of a controversy.
American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney Controversy Explained
American Eagle created an ad that uses a play on words suggesting Sweeney won the genetic lottery, which led some to believe the apparel company was glorifying whiteness. "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My genes are blue," Sweeney says in one video.
Some complained the ad glorified Nazi rhetoric centering around eugenics, a theory that some genetic features as better than others.
American Eagle's Response to the Criticism
For several days neither Sweeney nor American Eagle issued a statement following the firestorm. On the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 1, Sweeney broke her silence on social media with a wordless post. Just hours later, American Eagle has done the same.
"'Sydney Sweeney has great jeans' is and always was about the jeans," American Eagle said in a statement on Instagram. "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."
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Sweeney has still not publicly commented on the controversial ad.
Related: Sydney Sweeney Breaks Social Media Silence Amid American Eagle Ad Controversy