Sydney Sweeney says her silence over jeans ad backlash ‘widens gap’ | Sidney Sweeney

Actress Sydney Sweeney said she should have addressed the controversy surrounding her ad for American Eagle jeans, which critics accused of flirting with eugenics, saying not doing so would “widen the gap” between people.

Sweeney, who made her name on the HBO series Euphoria and has since become a leading star in Hollywood, told People magazine that she regretted remaining silent during the feud in which Donald Trump once intervened.

The actress said she “realized that my silence on this issue only widened the gap, not closed it,” while saying she was “against hate.”

The “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” campaign launched in the summer and was a huge success for the brand, which became the most popular jeans for 15- to 25-year-olds. American Eagle stock also rose 30%.

But the company’s use of a blond-haired, blue-eyed model who it says “wears a great pair of jeans” has been criticized as having eugenics connotations and “a reference to white supremacy.”

Some users on social media compared the ads to “Nazi propaganda.” While one writer described the ad as “a message straight from the lab where they’re cooking culture war pathogens.” Trump called the campaign “the most exciting ad ever.”

Not only was the brand criticized from the left of the political spectrum, but financial magazine Forbes said it should “reconsider” the campaign. The publication also reported that American Eagle store visits were down 9% by the end of the summer.

“I was honestly surprised by the reaction,” Sweeney added. “I did this because I love jeans and I love the brand. I do not support the views that some people have chosen to associate with the campaign. Many have assigned me motives and labels that are not true.”

She added: “Everyone who knows me knows that I always try to bring people together. I am against hatred and division.”

“I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us rather than what divides us.”

Sweeney is considered an outside bet for next year’s Oscar for her lead performance in Christy, director David Michôd’s biopic about pioneering boxer Christy Martin.

She has mostly avoided the American Eagle ad in promotional interviews but called Trump’s comment on it “surreal.”